Travel Agent Price Beating.

[loobloke]

Hi,

Here is a real question instead of the terrible thread that is now drawing everyone's attention.

I'm booking a trip for 7 mates + myself for a long weekend getaway, taking advantage of the Jetabroad Virgin Australia Offer.

I would prefer not to do my booking with Jetabroad, so I took it down to my local TA to price beat.
Due to the dodgy Jetabroad website, it won't correctly price the discount for multiple people on the same booking.

My TA tells me that he will only price beat each leg for each person separately, so that will result in 8 different itineraries, 16 by the time I count return trips.
I would much rather gouge my eyes out than try and organize that stuff, especially since I will be in a permanent state alcoholism after 3 straight days of drinking and could potentially end in disaster if something astray happens.

I asked him to check the loading for the fare class, he says that it is not possible for Virgin Australia flights...
Dummy bookings made by me show that I can book 8 people into that single fare class.

So is my TA is being difficult? Or is it how it usually works.

 

[serfty]

...
So is my TA is being difficult? Or is it how it usually works.

I think you need a new TA!

Here's an E/F result from a simple query:

DJ739 MEL 12/07/11 10:35AM OOL 12:35PM 73W J7 O6 H4 Y7 I7 D7 N7 B7 M7 S7 T7 A7 U7 X7 R7 L0 P7 C7 E7

 

[Travel Guru]

I think you need a new TA!

Here's an E/F result from a simple query:

DJ739 MEL 12/07/11 10:35AM OOL 12:35PM 73W J7 O6 H4 Y7 I7 D7 N7 B7 M7 S7 T7 A7 U7 X7 R7 L0 P7 C7 E7

I'm guessing given you're price beating it that you took it to your friendly FC agent. It does sound like they're being difficult though they're probably restrained by H/O policy and will end up wearing it if they don't go by the book.

In fairness to the agent re the E/F search, most agents (and i'm happy to put my hand up as one of them, even though I class myself as one of the better TA's out there) wouldn't have a clue which fares fall into which fare buckets with VA, it's not as simple as doing a search on QF where the fares are sold via the GDS, VA are sold via the net.

Having said that, as Serfty suggested, if they're being difficult, walk on by to the next FC TA and see if they'll be a little more cooperative.

TG

PS. What saving are you talking about? I can't imagine its that significant given its domestic??

 

[loobloke]

$20 ish. It's the jetabroad offer.Check the velocity status run thread. It's a significant saving on sale fares!$40 return trip (about $50-60 one way price ADL - MEL) then chuck in the $20 voucher. Good deals all round.

 

[Vinny]

I once found a good fare to Europe on Bestflights but had issues with something or other. Knowing they were then at least owned by the same parent company, I went to Harvey Travel. Not only were they unwilling to match or beat the price or routing I was berated for daring to shop around and daring to compare a shopfront and an online buisness.

As a result I avoid both businesses.

 

[malmacdowall]

I once found a good fare to Europe on Bestflights but had issues with something or other. Knowing they were then at least owned by the same parent company, I went to Harvey Travel. Not only were they unwilling to match or beat the price or routing I was berated for daring to shop around and daring to compare a shopfront and an online buisness.

As a result I avoid both businesses.

I did the same by finding the fair on best flights, called Etihad but they couldn't (or wouldn't ) give me the same advertised Etihad fare...... So called flight centre and they worked on it and even beat it.... So instead of $8800 Mel- CDG in mixed business and first, FC got me First class on all legs on the same airline (Etihad).... In the past I have never bothered with TAs because of previous berating and bad service, but this Flight Centre experience has changed this for international flights...... Good luck....