FLIGHTS

[lindajo]

I have just received a quote from the flights link at the top of the page but they say that we must book our car hire with them to book the flights, which I might add are very reasonable. I intend using the forum car hire link as their prices are excellent. Has anyone else had this problem?
Lindajo

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lindajo
I have just received a quote from the flights link at the top of the page but they say that we must book our car hire with them to book the flights, which I might add are very reasonable. I intend using the forum car hire link as their prices are excellent. Has anyone else had this problem?
Lindajo
[/quote]

If Flights as well as Car Hire quotes in the links are excellent, then why is it a 'problem'?

[E. Cosgrove]

I wonder if Lindajo is saying that the car hire offerred with the flights is that offerred by the travel agent who arranges the flights.
They are different to the Car Hire company .....I think!!!!

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Certain fares they offer have to be sold as a package i.e. they have to sell another component for your holiday as well as flights (don't ask me why as it does not make a lot of sense to me either). I looks like the fare they quoted you is one of these. They sell car hire independantly of us.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lindajo
I have just received a quote from the flights link at the top of the page but they say that we must book our car hire with them to book the flights, which I might add are very reasonable. I intend using the forum car hire link as their prices are excellent. Has anyone else had this problem?
Lindajo
[/quote]

[LiesaAnna]

i mentioned on another thread, that when i first came into this forum i wasnt aware of the link at the top for car hire, i didnt think anyone could beat the quote we had with another company, for a 7 seater minivan for two weeks first two weeks of december was £356, the link at the top was even better, i wouldnt have thought twice if this was me i would've booked it!!!!

[heathercobbett]

If you get a good quote for flights,go for it. Flight prices can go up and when several of you are going,it mounts up.(I KNOW THIS TO MY COST!)

[christhear]

I had to book car hire through them when I booked BA flights for next summer, they did match the car hire price on this site, but it meant I lost out on getting points to get me higher up the listings. The flight price was the best I could get though.

[Matt]

I'm a member of Wexas with whom I get discounted airfares.

Whenever my booking itinery comes through it always show a hotel booking for the first two nights of my stay.

The first time I noticed this I obviously queried it as I hadn't booked a hotel, the agent just advised me that booking the flight as a package is cheaper, and to just ignore the hotel room, or use it if I wanted. No need to cancel it or anything, just don't turn up.

I guess this is the same as mentioned at the start of this thread by Lindajo.

Matt

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

As far as I am aware it was only happening on Virgin and not BA.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by christhear
I had to book car hire through them when I booked BA flights for next summer, they did match the car hire price on this site, but it meant I lost out on getting points to get me higher up the listings. The flight price was the best I could get though.
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Matt
I'm a member of Wexas with whom I get discounted airfares.
[/quote]

Matt, my wife is a member of Wexas too and I have used Expedia on other routes. But when we asked them for quotes to Orlando in May last year (before I became a member of the OV forums), neither was nearly as good as the quotes that I eventually got through these forums.

But getting back to Lindajo's 'problem' I am beginning to understand. In fact, I had exactly the same problem myself last year; When I tired to book flights through the OV links, Roger Parry kindly put me onto Charter Travel, whose quotes for the flights were certainly the best that I had until then. But while Charter did not exactly insist that I book the Car Hire with them, they sort of 'made me understand' that it was the normal thing to do so. This I did, but a few weeks later learnt to my embarassment that Charter were not supposed to sell Car Hire to visitors directed to them by OVF. I felt really bad about it, but it was too late to change it by then. [msnembarrased][msnembarrased]

[Pluto]

I booked my flights with Charter Travel and got an excellent price but they did say I had to take the car hire to get the flights at this price. However I quoted the price I could get from the link above and Charter Travel matched it.:D

Ive booked my flights through Charter Travel for next summer, Virgin Prem from Manchester and had to have their car hire, its still with Dollar and for 4 weeks the 7 seater mini van, gold option was £40 more than the link above. Oh well £10 per week is not bad considering I saved over £300 per person on the flights compared with Virgin Flydrive[msnsmile2]

[gromit]

One thing to be careful of with flydrives is that you get to the car hire desk to be told you don't have enough insurance and have to pay lots £££/$$$ before you can go off in the vehicle. I'm not saying this is always the case but I have heard of it happening a lot! In our experience, book the car seperately if you can like using the link to this site.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

This is not the kind of deal offered through the links above or Charter Travel.

This is the kind of deal you could expect if you book a fly-drive type package holiday from one of the charter airlines.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by gromit
One thing to be careful of with flydrives is that you get to the car hire desk to be told you don't have enough insurance and have to pay lots £££/$$$ before you can go off in the vehicle. I'm not saying this is always the case but I have heard of it happening a lot! In our experience, book the car seperately if you can like using the link to this site.
[/quote]

[lindajo]

Nostromo
The problem is that Charter Travel want me to take their car hire not the one on the forum link. I wouldn't have thought they could better these rates but as Pluto mentions earlier in this topic, I will see if they will match it. Lindajo

Forgot to say I did click on the flights link above and got Charter Travel phoning/emailing me back.

[E. Cosgrove]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk
Certain fares they offer have to be sold as a package i.e. they have to sell another component for your holiday as well as flights (don't ask me why as it does not make a lot of sense to me either). I looks like the fare they quoted you is one of these. They sell car hire independantly of us.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lindajo
I have just received a quote from the flights link at the top of the page but they say that we must book our car hire with them to book the flights, which I might add are very reasonable. I intend using the forum car hire link as their prices are excellent. Has anyone else had this problem?
Lindajo
[/quote]
[/quote]
That's exactly what I was trying to say John, why couldn't I make it sound that simple[msneek][msneek]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

That's what should have happened as we cannot quote for flights ourselves - we just refer all flight enquiries to Charter who get in touch directly [msnsmile]<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lal
Forgot to say I did click on the flights link above and got Charter Travel phoning/emailing me back.
[/quote]

[IanW]

Are you happy for them to offer us car rental? I booked a Virgin flight with them and they asked if I wanted car hire but it wasn't a condition.A previous message from Nostromo suggested they weren't supposed to ask.
Ian

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk
That's what should have happened as we cannot quote for flights ourselves - we just refer all flight enquiries to Charter who get in touch directly [msnsmile]<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lal
Forgot to say I did click on the flights link above and got Charter Travel phoning/emailing me back.
[/quote]
[/quote]

Ah right thanks John![msnsmile2]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

We are not happy if they are doing that. They have said that NOstromo's fare had to include the car hire so that's the reason for that one.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by IanW
Are you happy for them to offer us car rental? I booked a Virgin flight with them and they asked if I wanted car hire but it wasn't a condition.A previous message from Nostromo suggested they weren't supposed to ask.
Ian
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

My discussion with Charter Travel was back in May-June 2003 and at that time, I got the idea that they were persuading rather than insisting that I should book Car Hire with them. They made me think (without actually saying so) that it was the done thing for passengers directed for flights to them by OVF to book Car Hire as well. As far as I can recall, they did not put that down as a condition, but talked me into it. I don't know if Charter have changed their apprach now and are putting simultaneous Car Hire as a condition to qualify for the best value flight rates. If so, I think it is wrong.

[Elaine62]

I discussed this issue on the forum at the end of August and got back to Charter Travel as I wasn't sure if I had to book the car with them or not, once I had had time to deliberate over the issue, here is what they said to me:

"It does depend on which airline and which contract the flights are booked on as to whether the flights must be booked with a car or not. The majority of BA and Virgin flights are much, much cheaper to book on the IT deal meaning a car must be booked, and if the contract has not been followed it has been known that customers have been refused boarding in the past, thankfully this has not happened to any of our customers as we do stick to the rulings. On the otherhand though there are a few allocations on VS and BA which do not stipulate car hire.

Your booking must include car hire to enable us to offer the price that we have, the flights would have increased by over GBP100.00 per person if booking on a flights only contract."

Does that help anyone?

Elaine

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Elaine62
I discussed this issue on the forum at the end of August and got back to Charter Travel as I wasn't sure if I had to book the car with them or not, once I had had time to deliberate over the issue, here is what they said to me:

Your booking must include car hire to enable us to offer the price that we have, the flights would have increased by over GBP100.00 per person if booking on a flights only contract."

Does that help anyone?

Elaine

[/quote]

That sounds like something new. If this is indeed what Charter are saying to people referred to them by Roger or one of the other OV Administrators, perhaps a 'situation rethink' is called for?

[Magical Dreams]

We have booked our car hire through the link above!!
Superb service!!

I will always go through these first before booking with someone else!!

Money makes the world go round!!
[lucky][lucky]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I've asked Charter for their comments on this thread and will post again once I have heard their response.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
My discussion with Charter Travel was back in May-June 2003 and at that time, I got the idea that they were persuading rather than insisting that I should book Car Hire with them. They made me think (without actually saying so) that it was the done thing for passengers directed for flights to them by OVF to book Car Hire as well. As far as I can recall, they did not put that down as a condition, but talked me into it. I don't know if Charter have changed their apprach now and are putting simultaneous Car Hire as a condition to qualify for the best value flight rates. If so, I think it is wrong.
[/quote]

[ravtino]

We have booked our flights for next year from Charter Travel and a car is included in the price, but we were told it was up to us and they gave us a quote for the upgrade on the car and the insurance and it wasen't much different from above link, however I told them we would get it from above and they said it was OK, they did tell me that some flights have to have the car and some don't, which is what has been said above, I did worry at first about booking it and not taking the car, but having read previous threads I'm not worrying now.

[lindajo]

I have received another email from Charter Travel and they will match the price quoted from the forum car hire link. So, all in all, I have got an excellent deal on both the flight and car. Thanks for all your help.
Lindajo

[brizzle]

I have booked twice through Charter.

I booked last year for this coming November and I had flight only with Virgin. These were booked well in advance of the 360 day limit because they get pre-allocated seats. So as well as cheap I managed to guarantee my dates before the offical release dates so I coiuld get on with booking a villa, etc...

This year for April/May just gone I wanted flights for a quick getaway and this time had to include the car to gain the cheap rate, again flying with Virgin.

They have always been the cheapest I have found for direct flights but I would keep an eye out just to make sure the 'must include car' deals are genuine. They have always been fine during my dealings with them and I will continue to use them.

Brizzle

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lindajo
I have received another email from Charter Travel and they will match the price quoted from the forum car hire link. So, all in all, I have got an excellent deal on both the flight and car. Thanks for all your help.
Lindajo
[/quote]

This may be a good deal for Lindajo, but Charter seem to have acquired her car hire after all, even if it was at a lower price than they quoted before. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of OVF admins referring people to them for flights only? If they are now price-matching with OVF Car-Hire rates, some new members who are not yet deep into the forum might be tempted to book both flights and car hire with Charter.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

But the point is that Charter will not try and get anyone to take their car hire if they do not have to to get the fare on the flights. They will refer people back to us for car hire in this case. They will also refer people back to us for villas if they have not already booked accommodation.

Some of their flight prices are what are called IT (inclusive tour) rates that are meant for the holiday brochures that are printed 18 months in advance and the condition of these is that they have to be sold with car hire or accomodation. These are the ones that people are talking about and it's the multitude of different fare options imposed on them by the airlines that is causing the confusion.

Charter sometimes do not know if the fare you want includes car hire until you decide that is definitely the day you want to go and they then check to see what fares are available at that point in time. They are also keen not to start out trying to sell you a fly-drive as they have a really bad reputation of the passenger getting sting for the insurances when they arrive in Orlando. They would rather start off selling the flights and then mention that a fully inclusive car has to be added to get the fare (if it's one of these IT fares) as they find this is easier to put accross to the customer and avoids the customer thinking they might get stung for insurance on arrival (which they will not as the car hire they sell is fully inclusive).

I personally wish the airlines would simplify their pricing structures and remove the need to have car hire for certain fare classes as it's way too complicated and the money they save in less admin would mean cheaper fares for us all.

I agree it does defeat the object of our car hire and we are not particularly happy with it as the car hire helps keep these forums free to use for all and pays for the very expensive monthly bandwidth charges we incur in running them. Thankfully it's only a relatively small proportion of flights that have to be sold in this way and so not a major issue for us.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lindajo
I have received another email from Charter Travel and they will match the price quoted from the forum car hire link. So, all in all, I have got an excellent deal on both the flight and car. Thanks for all your help.
Lindajo
[/quote]

This may be a good deal for Lindajo, but Charter seem to have acquired her car hire after all, even if it was at a lower price than they quoted before. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of OVF admins referring people to them for flights only? If they are now price-matching with OVF Car-Hire rates, some new members who are not yet deep into the forum might be tempted to book both flights and car hire with Charter.
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

Thanks John. I was going by what either Blott or yourself told me last year when I realised and reported my error in booking Car Hire with Charter at the same time as flights. Your (or Blott's) words were "Charter are NOT supposed to sell Car Hire to people we refer to them for flights". That's why I advice other people not to make the same mistake that I did back then. [msnembarrased]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I've asked Dawn from Charter Travel for a few words on this matter to try and clear up the confusion:

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:
We think that John Rooke has already explained the situation regarding flight pricing and the necessity to take car hire with some flights quite adequately, and we thank him for this. We would just like to add that we strive to offer clients the best possible prices on all airlines. In order to do this we have access to many different types of contract with the same supplier/carrier. Generally the lowest priced fares require that the airline seat is purchased in conjunction with car hire, although this can vary depending upon specials released and continuous negotiations throughout the year. Some contracts allow us to offer minimal car hire without obligatory insurance, in which case we are often able to absorb any costs involved. Other contracts insist that the car offered is taken with full insurance cover. The car cost can vary depending upon whether we can add our own car or are restricted to taking the car provided by the airline/tour operator.

Generally most airlines are becoming more insistent that when the contract requires that the flights be sold in conjunction with car hire the car is taken with full insurance cover. The way in which the flights and cars are "quoted" may vary, but we have to ensure that we are selling the flights in accordance with the terms of the carriers’ various contracts. Without going into too much unnecessary detail for the client, the terminology "flydrive" can often cause concern, and we find it beneficial for the client to know the complete breakdown of flight and car cost, without seeming forceful of the "flydrive issue".

Where any client insists they do not want to include any car hire we are happy to sell flight only seats but the cost of such seats may be considerably more than the flights sold in conjunction with car hire. Again this completely depends upon the negotiated contract for the dates in question.

Like John we too would like to see the airlines selling all seats with the same contract conditions, but unless prices are increased significantly overall we can’t see this happening. Such changes would only benefit the airlines and not the passengers.

Regards

Dawn
Charter Travel
ABTA F8106
ATOL 4151
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

That is very explanatory John, but this creates a new potential problem. When a visitor books his/her Car Hire with THIS OV SITE, by definition they can then book only their flights with Charter (since the car is already taken care of). But then, as Dawn says, the flights will become more expensive and Charter may no longer be the best value around. What if someone like Expedia or eBooker offer better 'flights only' deals?