Flight Negotiation Advice

Orion21 · 11 Sep 2009 at 22:51

Hi there,

I am thinking about going to Amsterdam for the weekend of 30th Oct - 1st Nov.

But the pricey flights are putting me off the idea.

Does anyone know whether it would be likely from experience that I could get a reduction in their online prices if I phoned them up to 'haggle'?

If so how much of a reduction would be realistic from an initial price of 160 Euro?

Thanks,

cheechm · 11 Sep 2009 at 22:55

Where are you?
http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/rail-and-sail/holland/

meghatronic · 11 Sep 2009 at 22:57

In my experience, unless you're a frequent flyer with the airline, you'll get precisely €0 discount. Haggling on the day is a different story, though.

Beansprout · 11 Sep 2009 at 22:57

Flight prices are set by revenue management, the airlines almost certainly won't budge as it's not the desk staff who do it...BA once wanted £1.4k to upgrade me to world traveller+ at the airport and wouldn't budge! Fair enough if I'd not paid much to start with, but I'd paid £700ish + £140 to change the date of the flight already.

Mind you that was high economic times and I guess they didn't need my money....this year I've been upgraded free of charge to club so all works out in the end eh

GarethDW · 11 Sep 2009 at 22:59

You want to phone an airline's call centre and try to haggle on the price of a ticket...?

Heh, good luck on that. I could very well be wrong but I don't think that the reservation system that the call centre staff use has a free text field for the price of tickets.

Rroff · 11 Sep 2009 at 23:17

Depending on where you going from you can find flights for aroudn 100 euros.

Orion21 · 11 Sep 2009 at 23:18

cheechm said:
Where are you?
http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/rail-and-sail/holland/

Live in N. Ireland but probably be getting the flight from Dublin due to lack of options in N.Ireland the flight I took last time has been withdrawn by the airline

.

Rroff · 11 Sep 2009 at 23:20

Ouch well in that case... 160 euro is a good price.

Orion21 · 11 Sep 2009 at 23:21

Rroff said:
Depending on where you going from you can find flights for aroudn 100 euros.

Could I ask which airlines provided that assuming it is from somewhere in Ireland and from which airport?

Price I had found was with Aer Lingus at 160 euros or so with 1 bag allowance included.#

**Noticed your post afterwards**

Would there not be agents of some sort that might be able to get a better deal, for instance would it be worth trying Thomas Cook and the like?