 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Crazy - book the day before and it's half that.
Obviously those are the most expensive flights that day, but bonkers anyway. You'd imagine that anyone going at half term was booked quite some time ago.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I think you’d be surprised how rich people are. SH regulators seem almost all 100pc people who take pleasure in DIY and getting it as cheap as possible. There are an incredible number of people that don’t shop around for anything and just assume a ski trip is £10k and don’t question it.
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You're probably looking at the last 2 seats on the flight, since anyone with any sense will have booked 6+ months ago when it was less than half that. And you're looking for a flight in 12 days time to one of the most in-demand destinations in Europe. Demand pricing works best for those who can plan in advance, which makes it less likely that the flight will be cancelled due to lack of sales.
Easyjet (and most other carriers) make a significant loss in the winter, so would you suggest that they be forced to hold flights to their off-peak rates and increase that loss, or charge the same for everyone on board even if some of those booked months ago and someone else turned up on the day?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Badbobby wrote: |
| I think you’d be surprised how rich people are. SH regulators seem almost all 100pc people who take pleasure in DIY and getting it as cheap as possible. There are an incredible number of people that don’t shop around for anything and just assume a ski trip is £10k and don’t question it. |
SH Regulators... Are they "Offsnow?" 
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@Bergmeister, Did you do a search to find the worse value flights? Just out of interest I just had a look at flying from Birmingham to Geneva that day and the most expesive was £600 wthout luggage and you don't have to go all the way to Gatwick to catch them.
I actually think that flying is ridiculously cheep and we sort of expect these days to fly to anywhere in Europe for £30 or so. I'm off to Glasgow the weekend after and flying was less expensive than using the train. That's stupid.
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| Quote: |
| Did you do a search to find the worse value flights? |
Whether he did or not, those prices are just insane. I think he's simply illustrating the pricing madness that can often accompany half term.
| Quote: |
| easyjet and most other carriers) make a significant loss in the winter, so would you suggest that they be forced to hold flights to their off-peak rates and increase that loss, or charge the same for everyone on board even if some of those booked months ago and someone else turned up on the day? |
Like I said, insane pricing in my opinion. . You'll be defending Ticketmaster dynamic pricing next 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@mountainaddict, perhaps you'd like to suggest a "fairer" pricing scheme for a limited resource? It's not like they can put on more flights, as Geneva airport will be working at max capacity. They don't have a bigger plane to swap into that route, even if it could land there. And it doesn't stop with the flights - why not have a go at hotels instead for hiking prices for popular weeks?
Maybe you've forgotten that this is a business, and their aim is to make a profit and return some of that to their investors - which probably included your pension scheme.
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I'd assume that GVA is a special case because as a destination it has these 3 different categories of passenger
1. Snowheads types - Very price sensitive, studying the balance point between flying and driving, trying to get as much time on snow for their money
2. Rich skiers - Probably not as price sensitive, looking at overall cost, probably booking through an agent so don't actually see the price of the flights, just the overall cost
3. Business travellers - Booking late, if they need to go they need to go and therefore not price sensitive. And given the types of business in that area they're probably even less price sensitive
These seats are for categories 2 & 3. Flights to other destinations probably don't have the same dynamics of people booking, either because the flights are mostly charter flights as part of package tours, or the destination doesn't have the same dynamics with the business travellers.
And us category 1 people should be glad of this dynamic exists, it means flights to GVA are numerous and with lots of options per day, prices are reasonable if booked early and we have loads of options outside of the normal Saturday to Saturday. Compare GVA with other big city airports or skiing destinations and flights are really constraining, with one or two options per day max, rather than 10s of flights per day from the UK into GVA.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Same airport, same date, same airline. 11.30 outbound, 16.30 return. £657 pp return. Suspect as @ousekjarr says they are the last couple of seats.
Lots of options flying out Friday and back Sunday for around £400 - difference would pay for the two nights hotel room and the extra day skipasses!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just for a laugh, I went through the same search, confirmed the most expensive flights on each day, and progressed to choosing a seat. On the outbound flight, there is one seat "up front", one in the second part of the cabin at the standard rate, 7 extra legroom seats by the emergency exits, and then 24 standard seats at the rear available right now. And just by looking at that flight, I've probably increased the price a little because it makes it look "popular"...
But by flying out 1:40 later at 11:30, the price drops from £612.99 to £329.99 - a 46% saving, or if you are really keen to cut the costs, the 16:50 flight on the same day is only £192.99 right now. Not ideal if you have a 3 hour transfer and want to eat in town when you arrive, but with the £420 per person saving you could commandeer a restaurant for a private late-night dining experience now that all the Russians are gone. 
Of course in a day or two the price will likely drop again because as they get closer to departure they become more interested in filling the seat at a lower level than in holding out for a billionaire in a hurry.
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Where are you heading? Do you have to fly to Geneva?
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You know it makes sense.
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I think many of the travel operators buy seats up early from Easyjet for the UK holiday weeks, pushing the prices up of anyone trying to do their own ski trip organisation. And why wouldn't they? If Sunweb can guarantee selling all their seets to Geneva, Innsbruck and Saltzburg....
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| johnE wrote: |
[b]
I actually think that flying is ridiculously cheep. |
This opinion deserves a retweet.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
| Where are you heading? Do you have to fly to Geneva? |
Gatwick to Basel similar outbound time, later inbound £240
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Is there anyone in the country that doesn't know airlines operate dynamic pricing?
Are Oasis playing Geneva that weekend?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Orange200 wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
[b]
I actually think that flying is ridiculously cheep. |
This opinion deserves a retweet. |
Easyjet is a true budgiet airline, for sure.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
| Where are you heading? Do you have to fly to Geneva? |
My group hit a similar problem for Easter - nearly £1000 a head for Geneva flights at a reasonable hour once you add baggage. Marginally cheaper once you look at Lyon or Turin, but once you're up to a 3hr+ transfer by car, you've got to start asking whether its viable.
In the end we broke the group down, 4 are driving, and 2 are taking the train, and EJ can go whistle.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yep, £300 Tunnel, £100 each way fuel and £100 each way tolls works for me, with a full car.
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@Richard_Sideways, Last few years weve done Sunday to Sunday at Easter. Flights are way cheaper. Lines for car hire are shorter, check in is quicker. Kids ski school Monday to Friday and then we all ski as a family on Saturday when the mountain is quiet for changeover day.
Only slight downsides: not everyone sells accom sunday to sunday (but we've never struggled to find somewhere) + depending on when you arrive on Sunday there can be a rush to get ski equipment either late on Sunday or early on the Monday.
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It's not "insane" it's capitalism. Is there a better way of rationing resources where there's excess demand?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Looking it up on Google flights for that weekend and you'll find all carriers are doing it. We live in a society with an open market and supply and demand are economic realities. (Try experiencing supply and demand where it is centrally controlled if you don't like it this form of pricing - I suggest USSR in in the 1970s or North Korea now).
A ticket bought for this price (I agree it's ridiculous) subsidies a £75 ticket price on another day. Airlines exist to provide a service and make a profit. This is a good way to do it, even if it's kind of annoying. IMV the alternative would be worse.
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my mate, and his sons, who i ski with tend to fly out on a Friday night, overnights in a cheap hotel by the airport, then gets a flight back late the following Friday evening.
seems to be way much cheaper than flying in and out on a Saturday.
EJ Bristol to Geneva
though this year (even now in non school holidays), due to a prior engagement, they are flying out late on the Saturday eve (still a lot cheaper than a day time flight), but again returning late the following Friday evening, as this is massively cheaper.
they don't tend to ski on the final Saturday anyway, so it does not bother them leaving on the Friday.
me and my girls normally drive out (after costing flights several years ago).
A, it is cheaper, and B, we take it leisurely and able to fill the car up with all our clobber etc
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Badbobby wrote: |
| I think you’d be surprised how rich people are. SH regulators seem almost all 100pc people who take pleasure in DIY and getting it as cheap as possible. There are an incredible number of people that don’t shop around for anything and just assume a ski trip is £10k and don’t question it. |
Very true. I was recently on a trip with someone who works in The City. He remarked on the vast number of people in SE England who have made fortunes from Crypto and sold out, private equity and hedge funds. Not a handful. Wealthy Brits holidaying in Verbier for example …. there by the bucketload.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Edited above for typos.
I should add that tactic was for British Airways...they release all flights at 355 days ahead... I wonder why it's 355, but it just is.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'll also add that is a huge saving to use Basle as an airport for Switzerland rather than Geneva.
Its usually a longer drive, but at most one hour longer drive...again we used to go there and save hundreds of pounds.
Relatives of ours still do.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bristol late Friday flight arriving GVA 20.00 1/3 price of Saturday, twin room in Nash Hotel across the road from GVA on Friday night £113, I think that is what I would be doing, if I was considering 1/2 term week, which I am not. When we used to do this madness five of us piled into a car, which also gave us some more affordable down the hill accommodation options.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Friends of ours flying Salzburg to Birmingham on those dates. £38 return. Mind you the skiing is crap in Birmingham.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Orange200 wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
[b]
I actually think that flying is ridiculously cheep. |
This opinion deserves a retweet. |
If you actually stand back and look at it, it actually is cheap. Most of my usual return flights to Europe (usually Venice or Geneva) are less than £300 return, including luggage. Probably about 40% of that is tax, so flights would be 90 quid each way and you don't think that's ridiculously cheap to fly half way across Europe?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Sorry to brag but I'm so chuffed with the deal I managed to pick up a couple weeks ago. Jet2 were running a promotion for ski carriage @ £1 each way... so return flights to Geneva from East Midlands Airport in March were £66 including skis and a 10kg carry-on.
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@winterdragon, wow that's a fantastic deal!
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| SnoodyMcFlude wrote: |
| Orange200 wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
[b]
I actually think that flying is ridiculously cheep. |
This opinion deserves a retweet. |
If you actually stand back and look at it, it actually is cheap. Most of my usual return flights to Europe (usually Venice or Geneva) are less than £300 return, including luggage. Probably about 40% of that is tax, so flights would be 90 quid each way and you don't think that's ridiculously cheap to fly half way across Europe? |
Whoosh….
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@RedandWhiteFlachau, Clearly you haven't been to Ackers Adventure. But then again perhaps you have. Years ago we used to ski on the Lickey Hills with a little rope tow powered by villiers engine.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir of deal-hunting SnowHeads but I've refined my flight finding technique over the years. I use Skyscanner for the big picture overview to learn the main routes and potential airports - by choosing "United Kingdom - Geneva" rather than a specific departure airport then I can compare prices for all airports I'm willing to use (BHX, EMA, MAN, LTN, STN). I'm a Jet2 convert, not only because of Jess Glynne, but the 10kg carry-on is more than enough for me.
Once I've narrowed down dates and have a shortlist of flights that depart at a reasonable hour I'll switch to google flights and track a couple routes. The chart showing the price history and whether it's +/-average is very useful. Best time to buy for March flights seems to be around Jan-Feb but it's a gamble. Last year I panicked and bought at £150 return only for it to drop to £70 the following week :/
This year I got very lucky and a google of "Jet2 Ski offers" on a whim made me spot the £1 ski carriage promotion. Ended up using Sunweb for hotel+lift pass as I'm willing to forego the ATOL protection (one day that'll bite me). Definitely seems cheaper to DIY the flights though if you're willing to deal hunt.
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FAQ
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