OTA v Airline v TA

[laffer]

Hi there

I am looking to book some SQ flights in J.

Bestjet.com is offering three tickets. The SQ website is $1500 more for the same flights.

I have read some pretty bad reports about Bestjet. There is a 2 hour connection in SQ (to a different airline which will be on separate itinerary) so I do need things to go smoothly and past experience with OTA suggests it be can difficult to get things done if it goes awry.

Would a traditional TA match the bestjet.com price?

I am not sure why there is a huge difference between Bestjet and SQ? Does anyone have any experiences to share? Is it just too good to be true?

 

[RooFlyer]

Its very unlikely that a'proper' TA could match the BestJet price. The on-line TA tickets are usually very restrictive in their conditions - including, probably refunds etc (probably nil). If you are going to be on separate tickets, that makes it very risky.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I'd be very wary about having two separate tickets for your connecting flights.

 

[drron]

Bestjet's rating on the product review site aren't encouraging.More bad reviews than good.
Bestjet.com

 

[laffer]

Thanks all. Yes, the reviews are quite concerning hence why I am having some serious doubts. The price difference is tempting but also concerning at the same time. I have to confess to dealing with an airline when there issues as OTA are very difficult to get results out of when it matters. I suppose I am curious more than anything as to how they can possibly undercut SQ direct to such an extent (about $500 a ticket)

The connecting flight in SQ is tight and there is a risk. But I am only connecting one way (on the way back I am stopping in SIN for a few days so there is less of a risk). Taking SQ to the final destination is a possibility but the price is substantially more than if I break at SQ and go for another airline (and the timings do not work on the outbound requiring an overnight in SIN).

 

[RooFlyer]

The price difference may come about by the ota buying inventory in bulk under restrictive conditions. In the event of irrops you will probably stand behind Sq ticketed pax, but I'm just supposing that least one.

 

[AviationNZ]

The biggest reason dodgy OTA's like Bestjet can undercharge by so much is because they make their money off screwing passengers with change fees, etc. So if everything runs smoothly, you 'should' be fine...BUT, if you need to change, cancel or if there are disrupts, good luck!!!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi there

I am looking to book some SQ flights in J.

Bestjet.com is offering three tickets. The SQ website is $1500 more for the same flights.

I have read some pretty bad reports about Bestjet. There is a 2 hour connection in SQ (to a different airline which will be on separate itinerary) so I do need things to go smoothly and past experience with OTA suggests it be can difficult to get things done if it goes awry.

Would a traditional TA match the bestjet.com price?

I am not sure why there is a huge difference between Bestjet and SQ? Does anyone have any experiences to share? Is it just too good to be true?

IIRC we had a thread recently where someone found availability through one of these OTAs that wasn't available through the airline (Cathay Pacific I think). In the end we worked out the OTA was using married segment flights and only ticketing the passenger on the first of the two required flights. Somethig similar might be happening here where the through fare is cheaper but the agent is only ticketing one part? Who knows.

I can't imagine bestjet bulk buying tickets, it could be a very costly exercise for them, and why wouldn't all major OTAs do the same (and be able to offer the same fare?)

The other thing is that some OTAs don't use real time inventory, or will select the lowest available inventory to price multiple tickets, when in reality only one ticket might be in the cheap fare bucket. They'll then ask you for more money for the other tickets.

Just out of interest, if you ask on the SQ site (direct) just for one ticket, is it still more expensive than bestjet? It might be that SQ has one or two at the low price and the hird one is pushing up the fare (SQ and other airlines will show the higher fare for all tickets.)

 

[williamsf1]

Price Match with SQ

At Singapore Airlines, we want you to get the most out of your travels. That's why, you're getting the best online fares when you get your tickets at singaporeair.com. Guaranteed. If you happen to find a fare for the same itinerary that is at least AUD 1 lower on another third party website within the same calendar day of your ticket purchase, just fill out the form below and we'll refund you the fare difference*. Because a great way to fly always begins at singaporeair.com.


Best Fare Guarantee

 

[RooFlyer]

From those t&c's:

(a) for the identical Singapore Airlines flight(s), round trip itinerary, date(s) and fare class with the same fare rules and restrictions and
(b) must have been available for purchase on the same day as the original singaporeair.com online purchase was made,

... So good luck with that!!

And why is It priced in Chinese currency and refers to Chinese time??

 

[williamsf1]

From those t&c's:

(a) for the identical Singapore Airlines flight(s), round trip itinerary, date(s) and fare class with the same fare rules and restrictions and
(b) must have been available for purchase on the same day as the original singaporeair.com online purchase was made,

... So good luck with that!!

And why is It priced in Chinese currency and refers to Chinese time??

The OP said he checked on the SQ site and the same flights were $1500 more .... so that is A and B above

As for Chinese currency / Time .. maybe something to do with your PC as mine is all in AUD and not CNY


4. Full terms and conditions:

1. The singaporeair.com Price Match Guarantee applies only to customers who make a Qualifying Airfare Purchase on Singapore Airlines using the singaporeair.com website, paid for in full without the use of frequent flyer miles to offset the total cost.
2. For a claim to be valid under the singaporeair.com Price Match Guarantee, it must satisfy all of the terms and conditions and be submitted in compliance with the Claim Processing Procedure (above).
3. The comparison fare (including all taxes, fees, charges and associated booking and card payment fees) must equate to a minimum of AUD 1 (per booking) saving versus the same flight itinerary purchased through singaporeair.com.
4. The comparison fare must be for the same itinerary/routing, with each sector of the journey flown in the same order, for the same dates and flight numbers, in the same class of travel and for the same type of ticket (including fare conditions).
5. The comparison fare must include the same ‘extras’ as the original Qualifying Airfare Purchase – including but not limited to the purchase of extra legroom seats, excess baggage per-payment, etc.
6. The comparison fare must be available on the same calendar day and within the same calendar day (based on the local time of departure country) that the original Qualifying Airfare Purchase was purchased on singaporeair.com.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

To claim the price guarantee it looks like the passenger has to book and pay first with SQ, then make the claim. And once those seats are gone, they may not be available at the lower price on the OTA anyway.

I'd want to make sure that individually all three seats were cheaper/more expensive and more importantly actually available before attempting a price guarantee where you have to pay first, claim later.

 

[RooFlyer]

The OP said he checked on the SQ site and the same flights were $1500 more .... so that is A and B above

No. Same flights, maybe but we don't know if the SQ ticket and the bestJet ticket had the same fare class and fare rules. That's the critical bit. Price matches always (or nearly always) require like to be matched with like. As I indicated up-thread, I suspect that the besJet tickets would be highly
restrictive.

As for Chinese currency / Time .. maybe something to do with your PC as mine is all in AUD and not CNY

That's a bit bizarre - I did my original post on my phone, clicking through the link. I just did it again and it does the same thing - Chinese T&Cs. My laptop clicks through to the A$ site. Maybe my phone has been hacked by Huawei !

 

[jase05]

I’ve used Bestjet a few times for basic Dom J flights and all has worked out well and I got some decent savings.
I’d be very hesitant however using them for International flights especially with any connections

 

[laffer]

Just to update the thread.

I did some dummy bookings on the SQ website (breaking it down into single tickets) to see if that explained some of the difference. It seemed to be on par with with when I booked the three.

I then did another booking (with a slightly different timing) and found that SIN would complete the entire journey for an extra $300 per ticket. This is very attractive as I would avoid a seperate booking and different airline and the connection worked well. So I thought this is great (it is still more expensive that the OTA but that is unresolved debate).

Then there was a catch.

When I did the multi city booking (to add in the stop on the way back in SIN) it added $1500 odd to the ticket. I thought that maybe it was a date thing and the flight was priced differently. So I priced the return flights without the stop (and tried the different dates) and low and behold it dropped back to the original quoted price no matter what day I flew. So it seemed for some reason that simply adding the stop in SIN (by using the tool) added unexplained cost.

What is the SQ call centre like? Maybe I should just give them a call or just wonder down to a high street TA and ask them to see what they can do (I do hate wasting their time though). But if they can avoid that additional cost for the stop over then the booking would be theirs.

Edit: Just tried the stop over v no stop over option with Bestjet and it priced it all at the same price which makes complete sense as opposed to SQ online.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just to note that it's not uncommon for stopovers to add (sometimes significantly) to the cost of a ticket.

 

[laffer]

Just to note that it's not uncommon for stopovers to add (sometimes significantly) to the cost of a ticket.

Yes it seems so. Sadly. I had always thought SQ encouraged them in partnership with the local Govt.

Tried seperate bookings too and could not match the price on SQ at least.

Leaving bestjet...haha.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes it seems so. Sadly. I had always thought SQ encouraged them in partnership with the local Govt.

Tried seperate bookings too and could not match the price on SQ at least.

Leaving bestjet...haha.

Friends of mine booked a round-trip to Viet Nam and included a stopover on the way home and it didn't affect the price. These things just come down to yield management, and the demand for fares exSIN as opposed to those originating outside SIN.

Give it a go with Bestjet. There are other threads on AFF about them. Many posters had no problems at all. Reports of problems seem to be if you need to make changes or otherwise contact the OTA. And it could be that the fare is not real time and doesn't actually process, or the OTA contacts you wanting more money (which has been reported with some OTAs).

 

[laffer]

Can I just supplement this thread and add one other question.

I am booking three tickets (one for a child). I have read that SQ is not as free in allowing transfers to other accounts.

I am the only SQ FF member. Should I just join my partner and our child or would SQ just credit the points for the entire booking to me (as I will be the one booking and processing payment)? I assume that it is the usual requirement for individual accounts for individual credits but it would be useful if there is a workaround on this so that the points can credit to me (as I need a top up to qualify for an Award).

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I was having a look at some OTA's recently to price an open jaw itinerary with stopovers in each direction for the following routing:

SYD QF SIN QF LHR /- BCN QF DXB QF SYD with the return sectors ex BCN QF codeshare on EK metal.

I found CheapOair had the most flight options by a mile if you were wanted a QF flight number for points and SC earn compared to other OTA's. Some airline websites can be clunky and want to charge sector fares when a stopover should be permitted. Jetabroad is another site good for comparisons for multi city itineraries with open jaws.

I have never booked with either of these OTA's so can't comment from a user point of view but the quotes could be useful if wanting a local TA to give you a quote and do the booking.