Air Fares

[willstain]

I have just been looking at timings and fares for November on the IOM-London routes and things have changed yet again, Aer Arran who used to be the cheapest with a return fare from £65+ are now looking for £108 minimum and reduced the service to once daily! BAConnect (bacon) are offering flights from £64 and they used to be one of the most expensive and they are the only one offering a jet service. It would seem that there is almost a cartel with VLM, Aer Arran and EuroManx all offering a starting fare of £108. You would think that with 2 new players on the route that there would be real competition but no, the only change is you now get free inflight snax with EuroManx and now you have to pay for the same on BA.

 

If you are thinking of going on one of these flights and you are heading to central London you have to add on about £25 for return travel on public transport from both LTN & LGW, where as LCY is now connected to the DLR and is cheap at about £5 return and just 30 mins from the west end.

[jurby and behond!]

Tried to book flights to liverpool in Sept for a trip, £107 return with Euro Manx. The airlines are stitching us up. I have just decided to cancel my trip,its their loss.

[GD4ELI]

I always travel BA - just booked recently:

 

GBP 73.00 + Tax/Fee/Charge GBP 43.20 = GBP 116.20

 

I think this is very good value, beats taking the boat and train. Being BA I know from experience I will be treated well if the plane is delayed or there are any other problems.

[Albert Tatlock]

Sounds like I am going to get a lot of support for my new Douglas to Liverpool venture then. £10 each way and all the fish you can eat (takes about three days) .

 

[GD4ELI]

I always travel BA - just booked recently:

 

GBP 73.00 + Tax/Fee/Charge GBP 43.20 = GBP 116.20

 

I think this is very good value, beats taking the boat and train. Being BA I know from experience I will be treated well if the plane is delayed or there are any other problems.

And a good choice of flights.

[Amadeus]

I always travel BA - just booked recently:

 

GBP 73.00 + Tax/Fee/Charge GBP 43.20 = GBP 116.20

 

I think this is very good value, beats taking the boat and train. Being BA I know from experience I will be treated well if the plane is delayed or there are any other problems.

Exactly what he said - BA only for me - they might be delayed at times, but at least they get you there....

 

It would seem that there is almost a cartel with VLM, Aer Arran and EuroManx all offering a starting fare of £108.

A random check for a fare in November brought up pretty similar fares - not sure if that's totally unusual..

 

[GD4ELI]

The Luton price is high - landing charges there are low.

[Charles Flynn]

I was comparing prices for a London-IOM return next month.

 

To go out on Saturday returning same day £438 BA.

It was no good in any case as the timing are all wrong for me.

 

So I am going on Friday returning Monday £131.

IOM-Manchester-London (Heathrow).

[GD4ELI]

I was comparing prices for a London-IOM return next month.

 

To go out on Saturday returning same day £438 BA.

It was no good in any case as the timing are all wrong for me.

 

So I am going on Friday returning Monday £131.

IOM-Manchester-London (Heathrow).

I just got half that for July 29th.

[Ripsaw]

I was comparing prices for a London-IOM return next month.

 

To go out on Saturday returning same day £438 BA.

It was no good in any case as the timing are all wrong for me.

 

So I am going on Friday returning Monday £131.

IOM-Manchester-London (Heathrow).

You have to hand it to the airlines, I'm impressed that they charge £307 less for the weekend trip so that you can put the money towards your board and lodgings.

[Blackajah]

I always go BA - simply because of reliability. They've been spot-on so far.... The last time we flew to Gatwick and then on to Prague. Flights & accomm (which was excellent) only cost us £250 each from the IOM - Prague. Recently got flights to Luton for £148 for 2 people return (booked though Expedia). The one & only time I've flown Euromanx (back from Stansted), we were ordered to go to the Dep gate, only to find when we got there that the plane from the IOM hadn't even arrived! Crap really. BA can be a lot cheaper if you book in advance. Also: a couple of tips. When flying into Luton, the return fare to Kings X (£22) is exactly the same if you buy two singles - on the single ticket to Kings X from Luton, you get the option to include a London transport travel card for about £3-4. This covers all tube bus fares in central London. I also discovered from a friend who works for London transport, that if you don't get the Gatwick Express into London, but get South East train service instead, it's a LOT cheaper & not much slower

[hboy]

I flew BA to Gatwick a few weeks back. Three hundred quid return and then they try to sting you for four quid for a pissing sandwich in flight. It is just unreal.

[scotsman]

i agree with ridiculus flight prices. yet i tried to book a 3 day return trip on the ferry with a car and 2 passengers

i was quoted £278 that isn't including a cabin for a return trip... NOw that is being ripped off.

[islander]

i agree with ridiculus flight prices. yet i tried to book a 3 day return trip on the ferry with a car and 2 passengers

i was quoted £278 that isn't including a cabin for a return trip... NOw that is being ripped off.

 

My name is John Seymour (CEO EuroManx).

I have been reading the various posts relating to the cost of travel and airline punctuality and I thought it would be appropriate for me to respond, although I think that no matter what I say some will critise or attack it. This is not "blowing my own trumpet" but simply stating the facts.

 

Let me start by saying that aviation is an expensive business. Fuel prices continue to rise and IF and when they do come down the reduction is not passed on to the airlines immediately, it takes months - similar to banks with interest rate reductions. In addition and generally speaking fares today compared with say 10 years ago have actually droped when inflationary adjestments are considered.

 

There IS NO cartel. We (as does any business selling a product) simply compare prices wih our competitors and try and remain competitive - it's as simple as that.

 

We have and continue to see a "flat" travel market here on the Island which effectively means that the market has very limited growth potential. An analysis of the May passenger numbers through the Airport shows a 5% decline as compared with May 2005 - a real cause for concern.

We (EuroManx) are spending considerable funds marketing the IOM to the UK and European market in an attempt to stimulate traffic but this is a long process and results are not expected to materialise for sometime. Perhaps more importantly, the IOM Government MUST do more to SELL the IOM to the UK and Europe after all it's the businesses, airlines, taxi companies, hotels, etc etc that take the commercial risk.

 

Some consider that "cheap fares" to be the answer but our "experiments" such as the £34 MAN & LPL Farecracker that we currently have on offer has been less than successful with a dissapointing uptake - there are quiet a few left.

 

I have also noticed in some of the posts above that there is a dissatisfaction with purchasing onboard catering - I totally agree. I really get anoyed after having paid for a ticket from A to B I'm then forced to buy a cup of coffee or tea or pay to check-in my baggage or pay for a specific seat (window or isle) - this really anoyes me. So much so that I decided to "give it away" our catering including alcohol. I truly beleive in adding value to a customers journey.

 

I know that reliability and punctuality (we have the best punctuality of any airline on the IOM) are paramount for an Island community (there isn't a train to LPL in 30 minutes) and all airlines strive to deliver a relaible product BUT unfortunatly there are so many influances (Weather, security, limited aircraft parking, Airport congestion - the list goes on) on airlines especially on an Island. Weather is the single buggist cause of major disruption and coupled with very limiting airport hours of operation the airlines are faced with difficult decissions that ultimately effect the passengers - something that I find extremly frustrating and dissapointing. For example, today (Friday 30th July) we experianced severe fog from about 3:00pm which delayed not only EuroManx but all other airlines. The fog did not clear until approximately 6:15pm. As a result many flights were either delayed or cancelled which meant of course disruptions to the travel plans to many people - beleive me when I say that we do not like this any more than the next person. We (EuroManx) would have moved all our disrupted passengers - and those from another airline that cancelled their flight and we tried to help - IF the airport agreed to extend their hours of operation accordingly. We take our obligations to our passengers very seriously BUT it is very difficult to provide a level of service that passengers quiet rightly expect when we simply can not fly because of the inability of others to recognise the importance of that service to an Island community.

 

John Seymour

Chief Executive Officer

EuroManx.

www.euromanx.com

[Albert Tatlock]

i agree with ridiculus flight prices. yet i tried to book a 3 day return trip on the ferry with a car and 2 passengers

i was quoted £278 that isn't including a cabin for a return trip... NOw that is being ripped off.

 

My name is John Seymour (CEO EuroManx).

I have been reading the various posts relating to the cost of travel and airline punctuality and I thought it would be appropriate for me to respond, although I think that no matter what I say some will critise or attack it. This is not "blowing my own trumpet" but simply stating the facts.

I make about 30- 40 trips per year to and from the island by air and sea. The fares for both are simply a lottery (especially for short notice trips which can vary substantially in some cases up to a couple of hundred pounds for an individual).

 

I think people simply want to know where they stand with regard to travel to and from the island and it is this 'price uncertainty' that puts many people off travelling.

 

Not everyone plans their travel months ahead and can take advantage of 'offers'. IMHO, traffic would probably increase if last minute places were sold at standard rates and not at the premium rate scheme apparently in use, and discount schemes for frequent travellers were maintained. For example, many a time I have turned up at the Steam-Packet terminal and had to pay nearly £60 for a return that if I had booked the week before I would have got for just over £30. I don't even bother to turn up at an airport anymore as I know I'll be given a stupid price that bears no resemblance to what I may have previously paid.

 

People now have the thought ingrained in them that they will have to pay a hefty sum if they decide to: take their partner away this weekend, their kids to this Saturday's football match, go shopping in Liverpool tomorrow, or want to attend an Isle of Man event this Tuesday - so the vast majority simply do not bother.

 

IMHO it is the ferry and aircraft operators that have flattended their own market through their own pricing structures, as after most people have taken their annual holiday, it is the current pricing policy that kills any additional trips they may wish to make. A simpler scheme would also allow the government and travel companies to market the island more effectively.