What's happening with pricing on "premium" London routes?

MuffinsDa

Over the last few years, I've always been able to book a reasonably priced flight to LHR (with EI) or LCY if I booked a month or so in advance. This week I've been looking at LHR or LCY to DUB flights for early december and they are all quiet expensive compared to what they used to be, lowest price for EI is GBP55 and AF to LCY is insanely higher. Just wondering what has changed in their business model? Cityjet I can understand but EI is surely going to lose business to FR if they remain so uncompetitive in this bread-and-butter route!

L1011

Landing charges are through the bloody roof at LHR, don't know about LCY.

LoonyLovegood

It's early December, I know a couple of people going to London to do Christmas shopping. It's become the 'thing' to do, like going to NY for a weekend of shopping was a few years ago.

BonkeyDonker

Are these one way prices? And for what dates as this can cause the cost to hugely. Similarly, Heathrow and City tend to be a bit more costly to fly into.

For example - on Ryanair Dublin to Gatwick going out the 3rd and back the 06th will cost €53 without bags for one passenger. The same on Ryanair to Stansted is €37, with Luton at €53.

Foe Aer Lingus to Heathrow for the same time period is €125, with Gatwick at €85 and Southend (EIR) at €83.

City Jet to London City came in at €120.

British Airways was €128.

Given their load factor (82% for August), and the high fares this bodes well for them. Wil they loose people to Ryanair - probably, but they appear to be working of a higher yield model here, and it appears to be working for them.

MuffinsDa

BonkeyDonker wrote: »

Are these one way prices? And for what dates as this can cause the cost to hugely. Similarly, Heathrow and City tend to be a bit more costly to fly into.

For example - on Ryanair Dublin to Gatwick going out the 3rd and back the 06th will cost €53 without bags for one passenger. The same on Ryanair to Stansted is €37, with Luton at €53.

Foe Aer Lingus to Heathrow for the same time period is €125, with Gatwick at €85 and Southend (EIR) at €83.

City Jet to London City came in at €120.

British Airways was €128.

Given their load factor (82% for August), and the high fares this bodes well for them. Wil they loose people to Ryanair - probably, but they appear to be working of a higher yield model here, and it appears to be working for them.

Yep I know the costs associated with LHR and LCY but they weren't as bad as this in the past year or two. The base prices for EI for example seem to have gone up - for example all days around early december are 55GBP from LHR to DUB, regardless of date/time. And that's one way! See the picture attached.

MrBizzles

As someone who flies back and forth from London on a regular basis I have noticed an increase in ticket prices across all airlines and airports. Its scandelous and bad for business

BonkeyDonker

MrBizzles wrote: »

As someone who flies back and forth from London on a regular basis I have noticed an increase in ticket prices across all airlines and airports. Its scandelous and bad for business

Bad for business perhaps, but not for Aer Lingus as their profits are showing.

cson

Cityjet have cut a lot of frequency on the DUB-LCY route.

MuffinsDa

BonkeyDonker wrote: »

Bad for business perhaps, but not for Aer Lingus as their profits are showing.

I have been a very loyal customer with them for the past 2 years (admittedly partly because I have free access to their lounges and fast track if I fly with them, partly because of my personal dislike of the way Ryanair operates) - even on long haul flights I've always tried to chose code-share flights that operated by EI for the short-haul leg. but if the prices remain at this level I will have to reconsider my loyalty to them at least for short haul!

Foggy43

Perhaps this may need to be taken into account also.....

http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?page_id=8484

Michael Noonan I've heard has removed Airport Tax and George Osbourne here has as good as doubled Air Passenger Duty. I am open to correction on this.

MrBizzles

MuffinsDa wrote: »

I have been a very loyal customer with them for the past 2 years (admittedly partly because I have free access to their lounges and fast track if I fly with them, partly because of my personal dislike of the way Ryanair operates) - even on long haul flights I've always tried to chose code-share flights that operated by EI for the short-haul leg. but if the prices remain at this level I will have to reconsider my loyalty to them at least for short haul!

I for one will be taken my business elsewhere if there is no improvement. I try to avoid Ryanair as i hate O'Leary but business is business and i will take it elsewhere if it improves mine

Zonda999

I don't go to London that often but I think Gatwick is the best compromise between cost, distance from London and cost of getting into London. Unfortunately, EI have stopped flights there from Cork, leaving only one Ryanair service daily which doesn't exactly leave at a convenient time

The_Wanderer

Zonda999 wrote: »

I don't go to London that often but I think Gatwick is the best compromise between cost, distance from London and cost of getting into London. Unfortunately, EI have stopped flights there from Cork, leaving only one Ryanair service daily which doesn't exactly leave at a convenient time

Likewise, I found found LHR to become very expensive to fly into /out of over the last year or so. I always now tend to use LGW if I'm in the London area, good pricing and good rail links to London.

I have also found myself starting to use regional airports such as Birmingham and Manchester to get back to Ireland on recent trips, which are far cheaper and having excellent rail links from London. Plus, because of the rail ticket I had (a rover ticket) the "extra" cost of travel from London was marginal.

The days of "cheap" flights to UK / Europe are well and truly over.

The Wanderer.

bikeman1

The_Wanderer wrote: »

Likewise, I found found LHR to become very expensive to fly into /out of over the last year or so. I always now tend to use LGW if I'm in the London area, good pricing and good rail links to London.

I have also found myself starting to use regional airports such as Birmingham and Manchester to get back to Ireland on recent trips, which are far cheaper and having excellent rail links from London. Plus, because of the rail ticket I had (a rover ticket) the "extra" cost of travel from London was marginal.

The days of "cheap" flights to UK / Europe are well and truly over.

The Wanderer.

I wouldn't say they are over. I am booked for €29.98 return to Luton from Dublin in November. So I would still count that as cheap. I have also some other good value flights with FR to Europe as well.

Anytime I go to London (about 3 times a year) I always use Gatwick. Heathrow is a nightmare and the Heathrow Express is a total rip off. Can't understand why anyone would fly there apart from connecting onwards to somewhere else.

I do think Dec is a busy month, business wise, shopping wise and family wise so airfares generally start at the higher levels as there is the demand there.

carlowgriff

I flew Ryanair to Manchester and back last Saturday for a day's spotting and it was just 30.58 Euro so again I don't think the day's of cheap flights are over either.

MuffinsDa

I'm not talking about air fares in general. I am concerned here specifically with fares to LHR and LCY being considerably higher that they used to be ... I'm pretty sure in any given week 1.5 month ahead, I used to be able to get a LHR/DUB ticket for less than GBP30, now it seems to always start at 55!

steve-o

Well, for a one-way Heathrow-Dublin there's George Osborne's £13 duty and Heathrow's passenger charge of £28.30. So the airline won't see a penny of the first £41.30. From London City, that total rises to £47.91.

beer enigma

MuffinsDa wrote: »

I'm not talking about air fares in general. I am concerned here specifically with fares to LHR and LCY being considerably higher that they used to be ... I'm pretty sure in any given week 1.5 month ahead, I used to be able to get a LHR/DUB ticket for less than GBP30, now it seems to always start at 55!

They have jumped and it's rare to get anything under £55 these days. I've been 'commuting' weekly from Cork to London for the past 14 months and have seen a real jump, especially in Aer Lingus fares to LHR, to the extent that I'm using Ryanair to Stansted more and more.

Another new trick I'm seeing is the airlines limiting the number of 'hand luggage only' seats. Was on BA flight from LHR to Dublin this morning and when I booked four weeks back the ticket was £85 hand luggage only and £120 with luggage. It's a bizarre way of pricing, but when I went to book a second seat last week there was no availability hand luggage only but availability with luggage for £180.