View Full Version : Is it me or are flight prices actually getting even HIGHER?
Katys Grandad
28-11-2013, 10:20
I'm looking for flights from Manchester to Florida in May next year for my sons and I am astounded by the high fares being asked.
They're flexible on dates, route and even which Florida airport to fly into but I can't find anything worth buying much under £700 at the moment. I'd probably expect that level in school holidays but this is term time and midweek travel. I'm hoping something better turns up and there will be the usual sales around the end of the year but the discounts will need to be very good for them to pull the trigger for 2014.
Mo Green
28-11-2013, 12:26
They definitely are. Five years ago I bought a ticket for £350 out of season and £500 at Christmas. In January we are flying to Florida using Airmiles and the tax alone is £333 each. I did write to our local MP regarding the huge increase in tax on the tickets. I was far from alone and it was brought up in Parliament but I suspect that it is an easy tax for the government to claim and one which they will not want to reduce.
We managed to take advantage of the Virgin sale for our flights in May 2014, but over here in Florida now and looking for next Oct/Nov. Prices very high and hardly anything under £700 and we are really really flexible and don't need to do direct either. United was coming in the cheapest at around £700. Ridiculous. We paid £520 this year for November!![:O]
Don't get me started on flight prices! :mad:
How is a family of four ever expected to leave the country? Especially during school holidays.
I travel alone and it's difficult for me, I can only imagine what it's like for those who travel with their families.
freddiehollie
28-11-2013, 16:35
Tony.... Maybe "they" don't want us to;-);-)
In January we are flying to Florida using Airmiles and the tax alone is £333 each.
The £333 is probably not all tax. Some airlines add surcharges on "free" tickets. Our frequent flyer miles are mostly with United, who seem better than most in their charges. We're using United miles to go to Hawaii and Florida in January, quite a complicated itinerary involving 8 separate flights, and we're paying £117.66 each in tax, of which the UK bit is about two-thirds and the next highest bit is Germany, where we are just changing planes on the way back. We're using 6 US airports (Washington, Los Angeles, Molokai, Honolulu, Houston and Orlando), and total US taxes are £18!
When we went in 2012 our flights were £700 each, I don't foresee us going anywhere soon if the prices keep going up and up .....
Last year we went in August....mad prices, usually, however I didn't book flights until 15th March and flew US Airways via Charlotte to MCO for $1,000 for the two of us.....way less than anything I could find looking very early on.
I have done this for the last five trips and always with a good result. I wonder if the airlines know full well that people will "pay anything" to secure the dates they want and so book as soon as the flights appear and they can charge whatever they like.??....then the rest of us get to fly a lot cheaper by waiting as they don't want to have empty seats.
Just my experience and thought it worth sharing.
Katys Grandad
29-11-2013, 11:30
Last year we went in August....mad prices, usually, however I didn't book flights until 15th March and flew US Airways via Charlotte to MCO for $1,000 for the two of us.....way less than anything I could find looking very early on.
I have done this for the last five trips and always with a good result. I wonder if the airlines know full well that people will "pay anything" to secure the dates they want and so book as soon as the flights appear and they can charge whatever they like.??....then the rest of us get to fly a lot cheaper by waiting as they don't want to have empty seats.
Just my experience and thought it worth sharing.
That's interesting Carol.
May I ask whether those flights were from the UK or the Irish Republic?
They were from Dublin but it would have been cheaper from UK.....can't remember if it was Liverpool or Manchester:) getting old :)
freddiehollie
29-11-2013, 14:25
We have flown US Airways from Manchester loads of times now. I always book flights when first released.
I have never found the flights cheaper than the ones I booked at release date.
I know I should not look once booked & I'm sure one day the prices will be cheaper, but I can't help looking.
I must admit I prefer to get the flights booked & out of the way:-)
US fly out of Manchester to Philadelphia.
I've found Wednesday night to be the time when I've always found the best prices.
You will find that the sites all use cookies.....so will keep pushing you towards the last ones/prices you looked at so do remember to clear them before searching each time.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
29-11-2013, 14:57
That's an excellent tip - thanks Carol :).
You will find that the sites all use cookies.....so will keep pushing you towards the last ones/prices you looked at so do remember to clear them before searching each time.
I don't know how to clear cookies? Any tips - I am all Mac!!!
Mo Green
29-11-2013, 16:06
The £333 is probably not all tax. Some airlines add surcharges on "free" tickets. Our frequent flyer miles are mostly with United, who seem better than most in their charges. We're using United miles to go to Hawaii and Florida in January, quite a complicated itinerary involving 8 separate flights, and we're paying £117.66 each in tax, of which the UK bit is about two-thirds and the next highest bit is Germany, where we are just changing planes on the way back. We're using 6 US airports (Washington, Los Angeles, Molokai, Honolulu, Houston and Orlando), and total US taxes are £18!
Your trip sounds great. I looked again and my frequent flyer flight with BA from Gatwick to Florida actually had £331.89 added. When I looked at flights in June with BA the fare was £319 with £330.57 added for taxes and fees so more or less the same. The taxes and fees are much cheaper within America but I am amazed at your total US taxes of £18. It used to cost us £46 in tax and fees for return flight from Tampa to Chicago (and almost double that for a 2 hour return flight from London to Europe).
I don't know how to clear cookies? Any tips - I am all Mac!!!
Open Safari (your web browser) if it is not already open.
Choose Safari > Preferences, and then click Privacy.
Click Details.
Select one or more website that stores cookies, and then click individual cookies and Remove or Remove All.
When you finish removing websites, click Done.
Remember if you click all, the usernames & passwords to your sites will go, so make sure you have them saved somewhere.
Katys Grandad
29-11-2013, 16:31
The taxes and fees are much cheaper within America but I am amazed at your total US taxes of £18. It used to cost us £46 in tax and fees for return flight from Tampa to Chicago (and almost double that for a 2 hour return flight from London to Europe).
I'm afraid that's because you're using BA miles/Avios. For example, if I use my AA miles for a JFK-LHR flight I pay just £1.50 in taxes and charges (and fewer miles) but the very same flight using Avios costs £156.50. Over 100 times more!!
This may be of interest:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/uk-britishairways-lawsuit-idUKBRE9A711V20131108
I was looking for friends yesterday and Manchester to Tampa on 7th may - 21st May was around £550 with American and 1 stop over.
I did look at Orlando and think the 1 stops were around £600.
If you haven't already try the comparison sites like expedia and opodo
I have never found the flights cheaper than the ones I booked at release date.
I know I should not look once booked & I'm sure one day the prices will be cheaper, but I can't help looking.
That's been my experience too. Sadly, the second part too!
Open Safari (your web browser) if it is not already open.
Choose Safari > Preferences, and then click Privacy.
Click Details.
Select one or more website that stores cookies, and then click individual cookies and Remove or Remove All.
When you finish removing websites, click Done.
Remember if you click all, the usernames & passwords to your sites will go, so make sure you have them saved somewhere.
Many many thanks Keith. I have been wondering about this for years!! About to do it now and will take note of your last bold sentence!!
caroline
30-11-2013, 05:26
Thanks for the tip Keith, I must remember to do that when I'm looking for flights for our 'kids'
We are very fortunate that hubbie and I pay taxes only for flights on United, however I have to book normal prices for the rest of the family. I've found that in May and June the charter companies (Thomson and Monarch) have flights from as little as around £250 if you can hold your nerve and book in the last week or so before you fly!! For September flights they usually come down to about £350. Other than those times I just look at the indirect flights.
Katys Grandad
30-11-2013, 06:11
I was looking for friends yesterday and Manchester to Tampa on 7th may - 21st May was around £550 with American and 1 stop over.
I did look at Orlando and think the 1 stops were around £600.
If you haven't already try the comparison sites like expedia and opodo
Many thanks for that.
I did look at the £551 fare but it arrives in Tampa at 10.45 pm and you have to transfer from JFK to Newark at your own expense to get the connection. Nevertheless, I do appreciate your interest and assistance.
steph_goodrum
30-11-2013, 07:34
Is it easier to got to Gatwick? Just found this on the Monarch one after they sent me an email
509.50
Sat 24 May 2014
dep 09:25 London Gatwick (LGW)
arr 14:05 Florida (Sanford) (SFB)
Monarch Airlines MON329
Sat 7 June 2014
dep 16:05 Florida (Sanford) (SFB)
arr 05:25 London Gatwick (LGW)
Monarch Airlines MON328
Their flight search was quite good as it asked if you were flexible on dates so I selected that and it gave 5 or 6 options (I'd put in from 20th May) and this was the best.
steph_goodrum
30-11-2013, 07:36
Changed dep to Manchester and came up with this
£609.50
Fri 23 May 2014
dep 08:30 Manchester (MAN)
arr 13:00 Florida (Sanford) (SFB)
Monarch Airlines MON303
Fri 6 June 2014
dep 15:00 Florida (Sanford) (SFB)
arr 04:10 Manchester (MAN)
Monarch Airlines MON302
Still £200 extra for the 2 of them.
Katys Grandad
30-11-2013, 08:14
Thanks for those Steph. They are flexible but it's possibly a little late in the month for them and Gatwick's OK on the outbound but a bit of a hassle when you're coming home.
It did strike me that those dates might actually be half term time so they look a good deal for others who might be looking for that.
steph_goodrum
30-11-2013, 09:22
I just picked a date at random so it is probably worth playing around with some other dates to see what comes up.
I thought that about the dates being half term (usually last week in May) and wondered if they had added an extra flight to allow for that. Although it is half term many parents are more reluctant than any other time (say Feb or Oct half term) as although they can then just take one week off school, it is also when exams and SATS are held when virtually no schol woould authorise it) and of course now any time is actually not allowed by law.
Katys Grandad
30-11-2013, 11:00
I'm not certain but it looks like there are no flights from Manchester before 23 May.
steph_goodrum
30-11-2013, 11:00
Just playing devils advocate here but, to be fair to the airlines, even a flight at £700 still only works out to £0.09 per mile for the 8000 mile return trip.
Katys Grandad
30-11-2013, 11:15
Just playing devils advocate here but, to be fair to the airlines, even a flight at £700 still only works out to £0.09 per mile for the 8000 mile return trip.
Fair point but you can easily find fares under £800 to fly 22,000 miles return to Australia and to Far East destinations over 12,000 miles for much less.
Mo Green
30-11-2013, 11:56
This may be of interest:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/uk-britishairways-lawsuit-idUKBRE9A711V20131108
Interesting! I will watch for any further developments.
Virgin 4 day sale starts today.
Virgin 4 day sale starts today.
Still over £1000 for next summers school holidays though :( Although it doesn't affect me I feel sorry for the families who have to go then.
Yep, if an economy flight to Florida costs more than £700, that's me out. I just refuse to pay it. I can get a fantastic villa in France with the first £1400 I've saved with the flight costs. I'd rather go to Florida any time, night or day, but not at any price. I guess the Airlines know what they're doing, or they don't have any choice, but this has to affect the number of holidaymakers choosing Florida. I'd be interested to know if other regions, like the far east see the same increases in airfares.
It's bringing the airfares within reach of competition from Transatlantic sailings...hmmmm, there's thought......
There are flights under £500 with Virgin but of course it depends what months you can travel. I will be very pleased to get a flight at that price!!
Yep, if an economy flight to Florida costs more than £700, that's me out. I just refuse to pay it. I can get a fantastic villa in France with the first £1400 I've saved with the flight costs. I'd rather go to Florida any time, night or day, but not at any price. I guess the Airlines know what they're doing, or they don't have any choice, but this has to affect the number of holidaymakers choosing Florida. I'd be interested to know if other regions, like the far east see the same increases in airfares.
The Far East is a very different market - and benefits from passengers who are routing through hub airports, so would be less dependant on holiday makers. Trends there would not really be comparable with US as a whole and Florida in particular.
Katys Grandad
30-11-2013, 17:15
The Far East is a very different market - and benefits from passengers who are routing through hub airports, so would be less dependant on holiday makers. Trends there would not really be comparable with US as a whole and Florida in particular.
Not sure I can agree with that. Every single US carrier operates a hub system so that shouldn't be making much difference. In my view there is 1 main reason why flights from the UK to the US have risen so dramatically in recent times and that's the virtual elimination of competition.
Up until not so many years ago I could fly to the US from Manchester with AA, BA, Continental, United, US Airways, Virgin and Delta. Now BA has gone and has entered into an agreement with AA that, in effect, they won't directly compete with each other. AA will soon swallow up US Airways and Continental has merged with United. Delta has an agreement with Virgin so we won't see them compete. The outcome is what are seeing where we don't have any real choice of going elsewhere. I reckon fares have virtually doubled over the past 3 or 4 years as a result.
Now compare that with the rest of the world options I have. Etihad, Emirates and Qatar have all set up at Manchester alongside Singapore Airlines with far superior products and services to virtually everywhere in the Middle/Far East, Africa and Australasia and in direct competition with each other. Guess what? Real choice and competitive fares. I can fly on a new plane to Australia with Etihad for around £730 and the service is head and shoulders above any of the US bound options. If I'm prepared to connect in Heathrow I can add many more options. I'm traveling to Malaysia in January going out on Cathay Pacific and back on Qatar. I have no doubt the product will be in a different league from anything available across the pond.
It may be that transatlantic fares were falsely low a few years ago but the lack of real competition has sorted that out in the airlines' favour. I have to say that I don't see the position being reversed in the foreseeable future.
It may be that transatlantic fares were falsely low a few years ago but the lack of real competition has sorted that in the airlines' favour. I have to say that I don't see that being reversed in the foreseeable future.
I have to agree with that. Not too long ago both my wife and I flew to Florida for a total of about £650 return (That was in November though) a flight to visit my son in Dubai was more.
steph_goodrum
01-12-2013, 21:32
KG
I would grab these flight quick if the dates work. The Virgin sale prices for a couple of days)
Fri 16 May
Sat 17 May
Sun 18 May
The selected return date isMon 19 May
Tue 20 May
Wed 21 May
Thu 22 May
Departure date
Fri 2 May
578.63
578.63
578.63
558.63
558.63
558.63
649.63
Sat 3 May
578.63
578.63
578.63
558.63
558.63
558.63
649.63
Sun 4 May
578.63
578.63
578.63
558.63
558.63
558.63
649.63
Selected departure date
Mon 5 May
614.63
614.63
614.63
594.63
594.63
594.63
686.63
Tue 6 May
558.63
558.63
558.63
538.63
538.63
538.63
629.63
Wed 7 May
558.63
558.63
558.63
538.63
538.63
538.63
629.63
Thu 8 May
649.63
649.63
649.63
629.63
629.63
629.63
721.63
Table not displaying properly but eg 6-20th is £538.63 These are Manchester to Orlando
Katys Grandad
02-12-2013, 01:53
It's so very kind of you to have taken the time to search for those Steph - that's very probably the best option at the moment. I will be in touch with my sons today.
Thanks again.
steph_goodrum
02-12-2013, 05:00
Glad to be of help, and hope they manage to get some seats for the dates they want. .