Horizons News - Thursday December 20, 2007

TRAVELLER'S TALES

God's in details

DON ROSS

Airlines believe there is logic behind every fare, but for most of us on the debit side of the transaction, we admit to being mystified by the small print.

Take heart, even travel agents (experts at deciphering the fare codes) have their moments, too.

A managing director of a leading Bangkok based tour company gave an insight into the perils of leaving home with the seat for the return journey still unconfirmed.

As business travellers often do, he dashed off to Singapore on an urgent assignment, leaving his secretary to confirm business class seats in both directions.

The Bangkok-Singapore flights earn Thai Airways International about 19,000 baht for a business class return trip fare. That compares with 10,800 baht return at the back-of-the-bus in economy class.

He must have been in a hurry as he travelled on a business round-trip 30,000 baht fare and his secretary only managed a confirmed a seat up-front for the outward leg.

"You'll be okay boss, I'll get the return seat confirmed this afternoon," she assured him as he dashed through the office to the elevator.

It was not that easy. Standing at the check-in at Changi Airport after a successful business meeting in the city, the CEO discovered business class was packed and his booking had moved from queued to off the flight status.

He's a practical person, so he offered the check-in counter a solution.

"Fine, I can give up my perch fish and rice dinner in business class for a firm seat in economy," he proffered smiling in the confidence his gold card status. There is certain logic in offering to downgrade from business, despite having paid three times the value of an economy seat. At least you get home on time.

But no, the check-in staff turned to their trusty manual that clearly stipulated this subject came under the heading of a fresh new booking, which means the would-be passenger has to buy a one-way economy fare to secure a seat.

He was asked to pay 23,000 baht for a one-way passage. This apparently is the fullest of all fares created to catch poor suckers, who for some obscure reason just fly in one direction.

"That would have got you to Europe and back in cattle class before fuel surcharges were invented," I told the travel agent.

Did he actually pay such a ridiculous amount to board a two-hour flight to Bangkok?

Apparently so, and he reckons, despite years of feeding the TG money machine, he is going to take his case to the Consumer Protection Board, after the national election, of course.

Not a day goes by without an airline passenger voicing concern about the way airlines price their products. But what about the services that don't carry a price tag?

Frequent flyer programmes probably generate the most complaints, possibly because we find them hard to evaluate. It is very difficult to place a value on points. Certainly the airlines know, but they are not going out of their way to explain the true value to their end users.

The arrival of mega alliances has also perpetuated the confusion and much of the blame has to be placed at the door of the largest, Star Alliance.

Frequent flyer points are the alliance's biggest selling point from a passengers point of view. We can accumulate miles on one Star Alliance airlines and cash them in on another. I frequently meet people, who say they will only fly Star Alliance airlines, because they can use the miles on their favourite leisure airline, Thai Airways International.

Business travellers will book United Airlines for a trip to the US or Lufthansa to Europe, but they will check in their FFP points for a family holiday on a THAI domestic flight or to a neigh- bouring country.

The most frequent complaint focuses on seat availability. Having accumulated the miles, a Star Alliance gold card holder cashes them in for a regional flight on THAI, only to discover the flight is fully booked.

They change the flight, it is still fully booked and the merry go round of try a different day or flight continues until they give up, or telephone a travel agency.

What a surprise, the travel agent books the FFP card holder and the whole family on the original flight in five minutes flat. No questions, no hesitation the flights are confirmed.

Hold on, is someone pulling my leg, the business travellers thinks before picking up the telephone for one of the less than productive discussions he will have with an airline customer service manager.

Frequent flyer junkies honestly believe that they are trading in a blue chip commodity or a currency that is as steady as a rock.

They are genuinely upset when they suspect the opposite could be true. There has to be a value for these points, they argue. Why is an airline off loading my request in preference for a hard cash booking. Its the same as cash, right?

In our enthusiasm to play the FFP game, we can overlook the fact that airlines have their own rules to contain conversion to a revenue earning seat.

Isn't that why Pan Am went bust, airline veterans remind each other over cocktails. It was flying full loads of FFPs across the Pacific to Hawaii.

Such was the legend, not an airline on earth wants to be too generous with its FFP seat allotments.

FFP uplift is usually restricted to just a few seats per flight and possibly none on a successful business trunk-route, fully booked by revenue paying passengers.

Airlines restrict use even further to certain times, days or off-peak months. They may even restrict members to certain routes or destinations, usually the ones that are not performing well.

While we may feel that every mile earned has a dollar value, airlines will view the loyalty programme at best a bonus or at worst a give-away.

Savvy business travellers recognise this. The real value is to gain an elevated status provided by a gold card or the higher Star Alliance Gold membership to gain the right to use business lounges, fast-track check-in, an additional baggage allowance or a limousine transfer home.

Earning points for free flights drop in the bonus hat or family holiday category. But that does not stop frequent flyers from challenging an airline when it becomes all too-obvious that they are being given the run-around.

Don Ross can be reached through this email address: info@ttreport.com

Bangkok Post