Strange First Class fares?

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ortho85

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I was looking at Business Class return flights BNE-LHR for May/June 2015. On matrixita it showed up First on Etihad as ~$7,200 per person total.

Then, using Skyscanner, BA on byojet.com.au gives $7446 pp First Class.

These seem too good to be true. Am I doing something silly, or do I jump on and book?
 
I would check the BA and Etihad websites directly for those dates first and see what they show

They don't show these prices, unfortunately! So you think it's a software glitch?

I'm a novice at this - never booked through third-party sites.
 
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The Matrix sometimes miscodes the fare classes. So reading a fare as first, when it is actually business. Check the fare code on the BA/EY sites to see what class it books into.

I just checked and the EY fare books into Z class which is a Business class fare.

The BA fare that I saw on Expedia for the dates you highlighed booked into Y from BNE to SIN, F from SIN to LHR and then F to SYD with a J leg back to BNE. Just under $7k for those flights.
 
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Ah, thanks. The matrix said "Z (First)" and I believed it.

On Expedia you can find BNE-SYD legs in J and the SYD-LHR legs in F for $7500 - still sounds good?
 
You are the only one that confirm that, but given QF is $11k in F and $8k in J for the same time then It looks very good.
 
Just book it. It's a good deal, if I needed to get to London I'd take that deal..

Expedia shows the fare buckets as J for BNE-SYD and a combination of A/F for SYD-SIN-LHR for $7.5k, which is First for the long haul. I suspect a fare error as its about $4-5k more on the BA site.

I think the fare currency has been incorrectly filed - The base fare is $6250aud - I suspect it should be 6250gbp, which brings you closer to the expected figure...
 
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Look carefully at the flight details - Skyscanner and particularly BYO Jet often have mixed class fares.
if you do find a fare you like and are worried about the third party booking site, copy it, and go to Flight Centre who
will match the price ( or in fact beat it by $1.)
 
Look carefully at the flight details - Skyscanner and particularly BYO Jet often have mixed class fares.
if you do find a fare you like and are worried about the third party booking site, copy it, and go to Flight Centre who
will match the price ( or in fact beat it by $1.)

Thanks - as Domenic said the flights are showing as A or F in the main legs, just J between BNE-SYD. I'll copy the booking.

Cheers
 
Thanks - as Domenic said the flights are showing as A or F in the main legs, just J between BNE-SYD. I'll copy the booking.

Cheers

Will be interested to hear how you get on - I recently had great success with this method.

Bon Voyage !
 
Will be interested to hear how you get on - I recently had great success with this method.

Bon Voyage !

Well, here's the answer - yes and no.

Yes, Flight Centre could book the flights/prices for us.
No, we're not sure we will take them!

Our real plans did not involve London, so having to transit LHR both ways is a huge negative. At this stage it looks likely that we will stick to Business Class on Emirates, who fly more directly to/from our destinations. The lure of First Class will have to wait for another day.

Unless we change our minds, again. A useful exercise and fun for a while.

Thanks for the input/advice!
 
An interesting one I've been looking at recently; ie. transit via LHR being a 'huge negative'. Let's say the final destination is western Europe eg. Paris. For the same or similar price (or points) would you choose 1 stop in J or 2 stop (via LHR) in F? The reason for the question is some dates I've been looking at have no J availability whereas F does, but via LHR. Before I experienced F I would have said J more direct would be the easy winner, but now I'm not so sure...
 
I'd take the BA option as you will transit through terminal 5 at LHR without hassles and can keep the connection time tight. Flying first over business is certainly worth the extra stopover and you will have access to lounges.
We did this recently (but in economy). A380 from Hong Kong and quick morning connection to Berlin. The back tracking seemed a bit illogical but we had several European flights on a BA booking at a good price.
The transit was very easy. Get off plane, security check, have cup of tea and look at the shops , get on plane.
 
A couple of follow ups.

Is First in BA that much better than Business in Emirates? The EK are all A380s, the BA are a mix of 747 or 777. We would get Limo service at each sector of an EK trip, but not with BA?

Our transit at LHR may be complicated. We would have to book the add-ons separately, meaning multiple tickets.

On arrival at LHR from Brisbane, we would switch to an Air Malta flight, which leaves from Terminal 4. From what I've read, unless you are on a through single ticket, you can't use the easy Heathrow connections. You have to collect your luggage at T5, go through the horrible security/Customs etc, then repeat at T4. Any comments?

Thanks.
 
I'd go with BA. Their first class offer although not worlds best is a class above any J offering. The BA style and service is a winner IMO.

As a bonus - you'll get access to SYD QF F lounge and LHR CCR.
 
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