No big deal. Flights to Tampa are over £300 more than I paid in 2015. With the dramatic reduction in fuel prices this looks more like a con than a sale to me.

In order to guarantee stability in ticket prices airlines buy the equivalent of 'futures' in aviation fuel; ie they have paid for the fuel they're using today at a guaranteed price (regardless of current market price) many months (or even a year) ago. Just because the price of brent crude dropped yesterday doesn't mean air fares immediately follow.

Fuel surcharges are nothing to do with the cost of fuel. Its just another con airlines use. Simon Calder attempts to explain here

Yeah BA. How's about passing on those cuts in your fuel bill, huh...

No bargains to be had here IMO.

Do you have to buy a hoover?

Any good deals with business class?
They had a good deal with £700 return to Miami from Dublin earlier on this month?

My only experience with virgin last year was a glitch flight to NY from oslo for £170 return.The virgin flight was from heathrow to NY and back Very professional and polite staff, very good food and the bonus was had a whole row to myself for the whole journey.
On that experience would definitely fly with them again.
As for BA never flown long haul but will report back after my flight to HKG next month.

So true. I currently always fly annually to the Far East on Virgin. Their lounges are great as are their new planes. But the fact that children can't collect miles and that they hardly fly anywhere else means I'll probably have to switch to BA. Which I don't look forward to at all.

It's can be cheaper to book a car along with the flight. We've been doing that for years at work and we guessed it's some kind of 'holiday package' discount when you add the car.

Last year I paid £1129 for 2 return flights plus their car hire. This year on their 'sale' the same package is £1485. Big deal !!

Seems to only be from London is it? Sods law it's not Manchester

You missed the point. It costs £146 more to go from the UK to new York as opposed to Dublin to Heathrow to new York on the same plane BECAUSE THE FECKING GOVERNMENT TAXES US BECAUSE IT CAN BUT CAN'T TAX A THROUGH PASSENGER.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-excise-duty-air-passenger-duty/rates-and-allowances-excise-duty-air-passenger-duty
FECKING RIP OFF (said in a Mrs Brown accent)

recently flew long haul with ba and was reallllly disappointed. they ran out of drink after 4 hours and the staff weren't the friendliest...

on take-off from barbados myself and 2 other rows of people got soaked! apparently their airconditioning system had leaked all over us - it was freezing! i was offered another blanket to dry myself.

give ba a miss... virgin are so much better for only a few £££'s more

It maybe a deal as flights prices vary month to month and please be aware that these prices are for specific dates only.... Therefore some days are at a reduced price and some days are double the cost so it's not an actual deal unless you can find a cheap day.

Example... I'm going to New York at the end of Feb, stay in a 5* hotel right next to Central Park. I purchased tickets ages ago and not in any sale, and this link below works out the same package at £206 extra per person... With 5 of us going it would have cost us an extra £1000+
A couple of pounds I can live with as you'd expect things to change, but for the total to be £1000+ More Than what we paidis a joke....

Have booked with ba for the first time and I have to say the pre booking of seats with ba is a total rip off £350 return Ncl to Newyork ?! Normally fly with Emirates they don't charge to pre book seats may think twice before booking again with ba when I have got young kids and would like the knowledge that we are sitting together !

Yeah BA. How's about passing on those cuts in your fuel bill, huh...

No bargains to be had here IMO.

I got a flight from glasgow to miami return for £360 in October. Happy with this price.

Have had some really bad bad flights on Virgin to USA in last year....

The price is only slightly cheaper than the price we paid for a journey in October last year and that wasn't in a sale. Had good service so personally wouldn't have a problem flying with them again.

I think it's the ridiculously high taxes our government charge that kills BAs competitiveness. It's hardly an even keel when it comes to pricing

BA preseats families together anyway - they don't want the hassle of moving people around to accommodate a family any more than you do..

To be honest, I wouldn't worry too much! People really aren't as 'on it' as you might expect. You'll be fine, honestly :smiley: There's a whole lot of seats on those planes. If they were domestic smaller flights it might be a bit more difficult. Agreed it leaves a bad taste in your mouth! I had the same with Virgin this year - I wasn't aware it was commonplace now either, but most people are in the same boat as you, and aren't willing to pay such a steep fee either.

I intend to book when the flight opens but never a guarantee and got 2 flights to book seats on would have been nice to be able to pre book either free ( like Emirates) or a realistic charge for peace of mind.. So my point been inflight may be cheaper but also look into the ancillary costs as £350 return to pre book seats is high way robbery in my book ....... Shame on you BA ! Looking now at the London to Heathrow flight hardly any seats are reserved so it will be probs a mad dash when flight opens for checkin ! Grrrrrr ! Well i will see how it pans out but you just don't need the stress really when yr going on holiday !

I want to fly to New York Boxing Day this year. And come back New Year's Eve. When's the best time to book???

heat from me!

As long as you do it bang on the 24 hour mark, you should be fine. I imagine the majority of economy class aren't paying extra for early seat selection. When I've flown with other airlines there was more available to choose than not when the seat selection opened. Though that hasn't been on peak holiday periods, so I don't know how much that changes.

Sorry, my point being there were lots of seats free. Many people only get a seat when they check in. So being one of the first to check in gives you a greater chance if you get in there first. There were rows and rows of empty seats when I didn't the online check but once boarded the flight was full!

I know its not a guarantee but if it saves you £30pp each way that's a good tactic and worth sharing on and money in your pocket to spend on you and the kids.

You sound like you are booking 1 seat, when you fly with kids, it's not quite the same situation.

Conair

not impressed

Careful if you try and get a refund. BA decide how much they want to refund you, if anything. I got a partial refund of £200ish and they kept £500.

Thanks op, just booked 7 nights in vegas at the Mandalay bay.

Not overly impressed with the rates to USA, but there are some good BA deals elsewhere.

£500 for direct flights to south east asia (HKG/BKK/KUL/SIN) beats anything out there (China Eastern doesn't count)

I am waiting for the excellent HolidayPirates to come up with a post on this, hopefully they will find a way to get the best out of this sale. I too think the price should be a lot lower, given that energy has fallen on the wholesale markets. But then again, most of the large energy supply companies have not lowered prices either, so am not holding my hopes too high. The only solution is to go to an upstart rival with keener pricing.

Oil is just above the $30 a barrel. The fuel surcharge was brought in when it went over $90 or so. They are still charging it and its about time they stopped.

I do not deny that the price of brent crude has experienced a downward trend recently; I simply stated that the price of brent crude isn't directly proportional to the price of air fares or aviation fuel. Just as the price of petrol/diesel you pay at the pump isn't directly proportional to the price of brent crude.
If cars/aeroplanes ran on brent crude it would be a very different story and we'd all have a good reason to moan.

No big deal. Flights to Tampa are over £300 more than I paid in 2015. With the dramatic reduction in fuel prices this looks more like a con than a sale to me.

Where do I even begin.
Ok, seeing as you think Brent Crude oil dropped yesterday....I'm not quite sure how old you are, so maybe a picture would be best-
http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1416988/crude-oil-brent-prices-6-months-2-jan-2015.png

(That '14 means 2014 BTW)

Fuel surcharges are nothing to do with the cost of fuel. Its just another con airlines use. Simon Calder attempts to explain here

And of course all of the other airlines have dropped their prices haven't they...

Happens

BA*STANDARDS

Normal prices.

Flight to New York and 7 nights hotel stay pp is £570ish Jan dates using the BA holiday finder tool

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/holiday-finder/public/en_gb