 Poster: A snowHead
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Have recently booked a last minute trip to andorra through 'thomsonski online'. As i will be taking a pair of ski.s i was looking for the ski carriage charge. Could not see it anywhere so proceeded to book holiday. ( At the bit that says TOTAL PRICE ) A couple of days later, i decided to ring to check and was told that ski carriage cannot be booked online and would have to be paid seperatly at £30.
If i hadn't rang to make sure, it would be an unpleasent surprise at the airport check in desk. So, do i ring back and pay it now, Or, do i stand at the check in gate, Jump up & down shouting "No one told me. This is a disgrace!", request legal aid and a soliciter from my other ripoff (travel insurance). Perhaps it's just me booking a ski trip after a gallon of stella, or has anyone else come across this? (Not the stella bit)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's pretty normally when flying with a TO (tour operator)
If you fly sleezyjet or similar you still pay for ski carriage.
Enjoy your trip - drink 3 to 5 pints less and then you'll break even with the joy of skiing on skis that you know and like..
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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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justme, book it now. It says on my ticket that skis not pre-booked cannot be guaranteed carriage and it will cost you to store them at the airport if not...
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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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Sounds like a rip off to me; a 'total price' for a ski hol which requires you to pay £30 more to take your own skis is not really a total price, is it? Whether or not the extra £30 for ski carriage is justified is neither here nor there, there should be clear warnings about the extra £30. Still, that's TOs for you; you probably have to cough up if you want toa take your skis.
I must say, drinking a gallon of Stella by 6.15pm on a weekday is pretty impressive (can't stand Stella myself, but whatever your preference, if you're going for a lunchtime drink, go for a lunchtime drink, I say).
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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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yeh i wud recommend booking it now...
however thomson and crystal are more expensive than others for ski carriage.
if i remember correctly there was an extras part before total price on thomson website
first choice is only £15! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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sorry, not sympathetic. It's clearly stated on the website under "what's included" that ski carriage isn't. Very few airlines or TOs will carry skis free, so this is hardly an unusual practice. Conclusion is - be sober before committing yourself to major expenditure online. And read the smallprint.
You have got insurance, haven't you? 
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| jollykay wrote: |
if i remember correctly there was an extras part before total price on thomson website |
There was, but they've removed it this year for some reason - meaning you have to ring up to book ski carriage!
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| justme wrote: |
Have recently booked a last minute trip to andorra through 'thomsonski online'. As i will be taking a pair of ski.s i was looking for the ski carriage charge. Could not see it anywhere so proceeded to book holiday. ( At the bit that says TOTAL PRICE ) A couple of days later, i decided to ring to check and was told that ski carriage cannot be booked online and would have to be paid seperatly at £30.
If i hadn't rang to make sure, it would be an unpleasent surprise at the airport check in desk. So, do i ring back and pay it now, Or, do i stand at the check in gate, Jump up & down shouting "No one told me. This is a disgrace!", request legal aid and a soliciter from my other ripoff (travel insurance). Perhaps it's just me booking a ski trip after a gallon of stella, or has anyone else come across this? (Not the stella bit) |
I'm surprised you can't book it online any more. You still could with Crystalski (same company) when I was checking prices earlier this year.
[EDIT] Actually, you can - I checked after making that post, by going as far through the booking process as required to bring up that page (and for the 21st march this year, so still a late booking).[/EDIT]
But £30 is the standard charge for any of the TUI group companies for pre-booked ski carriage.
It's more than Inghams or Thomascook group companies, but less than Easyjet or Ryanair.
But definitely BOOK NOW. If you don't then firstly it will be a higher charge, and secondly there is no guarantee you would get your skis on the plane at all. Which would result in you having to pay (probably more than £30) storage fees at the airport, plus having to hire in resort.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Wed 4-03-09 23:41; edited 1 time in total
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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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| richmond wrote: |
| Sounds like a rip off to me; a 'total price' for a ski hol which requires you to pay £30 more to take your own skis is not really a total price, is it? Whether or not the extra £30 for ski carriage is justified is neither here nor there, there should be clear warnings about the extra £30. |
Given that I doubt if 10% of TO customers take their own skis, no I would not expect ski carriage fees to be automatically included.
But normally, when booking, there will be a page where you can add pre-booked ski hire OR ski carriage.
I just checked the Thomson site by going as far as the "extras" page, and you can book ski carriage online (at £30), if you expand the "ski equipment" heading.
Easy to miss, but why the OP was told he couldn't I don't know.
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| pam w wrote: |
| very few airlines or TOs will carry skis free, so this is hardly an unusual practice. |
Well so far this year I've flown KLM, Northwest, Air France, and BA, none of which charge for skis. Also flown Titan (who?) and Flybe, both who do charge.
I don't think my sample of 66% of airlines carrying skis free can be realistically be described as very few.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
But £30 is the standard charge for any of the TUI group companies for pre-booked ski carriage.
It's more than Inghams or Thomascook group companies, but less than Easyjet or Ryanair. |
Ryanair is now a totally outrageous £50  return for skis.
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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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| RobW wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| very few airlines or TOs will carry skis free, so this is hardly an unusual practice. |
Well so far this year I've flown KLM, Northwest, Air France, and BA, none of which charge for skis. Also flown Titan (who?) and Flybe, both who do charge.
I don't think my sample of 66% of airlines carrying skis free can be realistically be described as very few. |
It certainly can.
Because you do not have "66% of airlines", you have 66% of a very limited sample, amounting to a total of four airlines.
And while there are certainly more than just those four, it is still a pretty small proportion of all the airlines serving ski resorts from the UK.
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| Quote: |
Because you do not have "66% of airlines", you have 66% of a very limited sample, amounting to a total of four airlines.
And while there are certainly more than just those four, it is still a pretty small proportion of all the airlines serving ski resorts from the UK.
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It just goes to prove if you fly budget or with a TO you pay extra for everything. None of the scheduled airlines I checked charge extra for skis. However I understand Air Canada will not accept any responsibility if they lose your bags, skis, boots or anything else they carry on your behalf so insure insure insure 
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You know it makes sense.
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Most TOs, including the one under discussion, make their terms and conditions very clear on their website. If people don't check under "what's included" then they only have themselves to blame. If, as stated above, only 10% take skis with them, it would be most unfair to make the other 90% pay for them. I don't see what the fuss is about, really. I'm sure we've all failed to read "terms and conditions" carefully in the past (I know I have  ) but I wouldn't have the gall to moan about it, much less
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stand at the check in gate, Jump up & down shouting "No one told me. This is a disgrace!", request legal aid and a soliciter
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Check-in for charter flights is bad enough as it is, without some wally starting a punch up.
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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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Well if it makes the extra charge clear on the website, fair enough, I suppose. It would be futile in this day and age to object to the use of the term 'total price' to describe a price which for many customers will not be the total price for the service provided.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| richmond wrote: |
| Well if it makes the extra charge clear on the website, fair enough, I suppose. It would be futile in this day and age to object to the use of the term 'total price' to describe a price which for many customers will not be the total price for the service provided. |
It is the total price for the service you have booked. It is hardly their fault if you latere decide you want an additional service - they aren't mind readers.
It would be reasonable to complain if they showed something they called a "total price" at a point where you have not actually booked, and where that "total price" did not include things that every traveller would need (or even almost every traveller).
I'm not aware there has ever been a time when you could just turn up at the gate and be sure of getting your skis on, even on airlines where the carriage is free. You have always AFAIK been expected to pre-book even the free carriage unless you wanted to risk not getting your skis on the plane.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| alex_heney wrote: |
Because you do not have "66% of airlines", you have 66% of a very limited sample, amounting to a total of four airlines.
And while there are certainly more than just those four, it is still a pretty small proportion of all the airlines serving ski resorts from the UK. |
So whilst you accept there are certainly more that those four, you still think that only a small proportion don't charge.
If every SH posted their results this year, how many airlines do you think would be charging, and how many not? What research have you done to show those who don't charge are a very few (and of course, what do you mean by very few: 2, 4, 10??)
Let's do some estimation...
Assuming that all the TOs charge, then that's maybe 6 airlines. Then assume all the cheapies charge. That's another half dozen. So maybe 12 airlines charge for skis - call it 15 to be generous.
Now, lets pick a UK airport at random - lets say Gatwick. How many airlines fly out of Gatwick? About 66. So say just under half of those fly to countries which have ski resorts and so may be used by skiers: say 30 airlines.
So we have 30 airlines, of which 15 charge for skis and 15 don't. Assuming these figures aren't widely out, would you call that very few?? I wouldn't describe 50% as a small proportion.
If you think my figures *are* widely out, then please provide your evidence.
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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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| Quote: |
It would be reasonable to complain if they showed something they called a "total price" at a point where you have not actually booked, and where that "total price" did not include things that every traveller would need (or even almost every traveller).
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It would also be reasonable if the website in question didn't give an eminently clear explanation of what is included in the total holiday cost.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
| richmond wrote: |
| Well if it makes the extra charge clear on the website, fair enough, I suppose. It would be futile in this day and age to object to the use of the term 'total price' to describe a price which for many customers will not be the total price for the service provided. |
It is the total price for the service you have booked. It is hardly their fault if you latere decide you want an additional service - they aren't mind readers. |
It is the 'price' for the service you've booked. 'Total price' carries, and is clearly (to me) intended to carry, then implication that you will have to pay no more for what you could reasonably expect to need for the travel and accom element of your hol. I think that this includes ski carriage when it's needed (I don't take skis, so I don't need it). It would be perfectly feasible for 'ski carriage' to be a selectable option, adding £30 pop to the 'total charge' figure or failing that to say 'price, excluding ski carriage if required'. It seems to me that they are trying to make the hol appear cheaper than it will actually be until you have committed yourself. For a significant proportion of customers, the 'total price' will not be the total price. At best it's unhelpful, at worst it's deliberately misleading.
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| I'm not aware there has ever been a time when you could just turn up at the gate and be sure of getting your skis on, even on airlines where the carriage is free. You have always AFAIK been expected to pre-book even the free carriage unless you wanted to risk not getting your skis on the plane. |
I have no problem with the charge or the need to prebook. My problem is with the use of language to imply what is not true.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Axsman wrote: |
Oh goody, another 'bash the cheap operators for charging for skis thread.  |
Rather a 'bash the TOs for not making their charges as clear as they could with little or no effort' thread. One of the many reasons I prefer DIY is that I don't find myself misled by TOs into thinking that I might be getting a cheaper hol than I am.
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You sure its £30 as I only paid £15 with the same TO.
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Louis, maybe that was £15 per ski. Typical TO trick. When you turn up at the airport, you'll have to leave one ski behind or pay a late booking fee of £875.
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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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Louis, Charges keep jumping up, Ryanair has gone form £30 to £57 in six months.
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not making their charges as clear as they could with little or no effort'
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I hold no brief for TOs and haven't used one for ages, but the "what's included" on that website could hardly be clearer, and it's easy to find.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Louis, It was £15 last year. It is £30 this year.
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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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richmond, I would be surprised if anybody else expects the "toatl price" shown during the booking process to reflect anything other than the total for what you have booked.
They can't possibly guess what you might want to book.
Ski carriage is a selectable option, and it does alter the "total Price" shown when you select it.
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| RobW wrote: |
| alex_heney wrote: |
Because you do not have "66% of airlines", you have 66% of a very limited sample, amounting to a total of four airlines.
And while there are certainly more than just those four, it is still a pretty small proportion of all the airlines serving ski resorts from the UK. |
So whilst you accept there are certainly more that those four, you still think that only a small proportion don't charge.
If every SH posted their results this year, how many airlines do you think would be charging, and how many not? What research have you done to show those who don't charge are a very few (and of course, what do you mean by very few: 2, 4, 10??)
Let's do some estimation...
Assuming that all the TOs charge, then that's maybe 6 airlines. Then assume all the cheapies charge. That's another half dozen. So maybe 12 airlines charge for skis - call it 15 to be generous.
Now, lets pick a UK airport at random - lets say Gatwick. How many airlines fly out of Gatwick? About 66. So say just under half of those fly to countries which have ski resorts and so may be used by skiers: say 30 airlines.
So we have 30 airlines, of which 15 charge for skis and 15 don't. Assuming these figures aren't widely out, would you call that very few?? I wouldn't describe 50% as a small proportion.
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Neither would I, but I can't believe your guesses are anywhere close to reality.
I would be surprised if there are as many as 30 "major" scheduled airlines which fly from the UK to reasonably common ski destinations. I would also be surprised if none of those charge, which is an assumption you have made.
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If you think my figures *are* widely out, then please provide your evidence. |
Well I have just had a look at routes/airlines from both heathrow and Gatwick for ski destinations.
Between them, the following list of airlines operate (scheduled):
BA
EasyJet
Thomas cook
Air Transat
Flyglobespan
Viking
Flybe
Aer Lingus
BMI
Thomson Airways
Air Canada
Swiss
Lufthansa
SAS
Virgin Atlantic
Austrian
Bulgaria Air
Alitalia
Plus 12 different charter operators listed on the Gatwick site.
So that is 30 operators (and several "budget" airlines don't operate from either - Ryanair & BMIBaby being the most obvious).
Of the scheduled airlines above, the following make a charge for ski equipment - EasyJet, Thomas cook, Flyglobespan,Viking, Flybe, Thomson Airways, SAS, Aer Lingus.
I could not find the policies of Bulgaria Air or Alitalia
Of the remainder, Air Canada and BMI allow skis free if the total hold luggage allowance of 20Kg is not exceeded (not likely you can manage with that little inlcuding skis and boots).
The others (BA, Swiss, Air Transat, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Austrian) either include within decent sized allowances (2 * 23Kg), or carry 1 set per person free in addition to other allowances.
6 out of 30 is not very many IMO. You may think otherwise of course.
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You know it makes sense.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
I can't believe your guesses are anywhere close to reality.
I would be surprised if there are as many as 30 "major" scheduled airlines which fly from the UK to reasonably common ski destinations. I would also be surprised if none of those charge, which is an assumption you have made. |
If you read my figures again, that's 30 airlines in total - scheduled (traditional + low cost) and charter - flying from Gatwick. I never said NONE of those 30 airlines charged, infact I explicitly estimated that 15 do charge! So that's a 50:50 split between those which charge and those which don't.
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I have just had a look at routes/airlines from both heathrow and Gatwick for ski destinations.
Between them, the following list of airlines operate (scheduled):
BA
EasyJet
Thomas cook
Air Transat
Flyglobespan
Viking
Flybe
Aer Lingus
BMI
Thomson Airways
Air Canada
Swiss
Lufthansa
SAS
Virgin Atlantic
Austrian
Bulgaria Air
Alitalia
Plus 12 different charter operators listed on the Gatwick site.
So that is 30 operators (and several "budget" airlines don't operate from either - Ryanair & BMIBaby being the most obvious).
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Wow! My estimate of 30 wasn't bad then.
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Of the remainder, Air Canada and BMI allow skis free if the total hold luggage allowance of 20Kg is not exceeded (not likely you can manage with that little inlcuding skis and boots). |
Dunno where you get that info on Air Canada - but it is not what they state at http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/airport/baggage/sports_equip.html. AC allow 2x23kg bags, PLUS skis+boots (as long as you tell them in advance). I'll trust you that the remainder is correct. 
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6 out of 30 is not very many IMO. You may think otherwise of course |
Well once you eliminate the two you couldn't find, and AC, then it's closer to 25% using your figures - hardly only a few (which I'd interpret as 3 or 4), or a small proportion (e.g. under 10%).
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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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| RobW wrote: |
| alex_heney wrote: |
I can't believe your guesses are anywhere close to reality.
I would be surprised if there are as many as 30 "major" scheduled airlines which fly from the UK to reasonably common ski destinations. I would also be surprised if none of those charge, which is an assumption you have made. |
If you read my figures again, that's 30 airlines in total - scheduled (traditional + low cost) and charter - flying from Gatwick. I never said NONE of those 30 airlines charged, infact I explicitly estimated that 15 do charge! So that's a 50:50 split between those which charge and those which don't.
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Oops. Sorry, yes I had (mis)read it as 30 airlines in addition to the charters.
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| Quote: |
I have just had a look at routes/airlines from both heathrow and Gatwick for ski destinations.
Between them, the following list of airlines operate (scheduled):
BA
EasyJet
Thomas cook
Air Transat
Flyglobespan
Viking
Flybe
Aer Lingus
BMI
Thomson Airways
Air Canada
Swiss
Lufthansa
SAS
Virgin Atlantic
Austrian
Bulgaria Air
Alitalia
Plus 12 different charter operators listed on the Gatwick site.
So that is 30 operators (and several "budget" airlines don't operate from either - Ryanair & BMIBaby being the most obvious).
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Wow! My estimate of 30 wasn't bad then.
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Agreed.
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Of the remainder, Air Canada and BMI allow skis free if the total hold luggage allowance of 20Kg is not exceeded (not likely you can manage with that little inlcuding skis and boots). |
Dunno where you get that info on Air Canada - but it is not what they state at http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/airport/baggage/sports_equip.html. AC allow 2x23kg bags, PLUS skis+boots (as long as you tell them in advance). I'll trust you that the remainder is correct.
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Well it isn't plus skis & boots (it's only the oversize bit that is waived, not the overweight), but yes, I'm not sure why I thoughth it was a 20Kg one. It shoudl be with the others that allow 2*23Kg, as you say.
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6 out of 30 is not very many IMO. You may think otherwise of course |
Well once you eliminate the two you couldn't find, and AC, then it's closer to 25% using your figures - hardly only a few (which I'd interpret as 3 or 4), or a small proportion (e.g. under 10%). |
A matter of interpretation as to exactly what "a few" means. But yes, it is more than I thought. And less than the 50:50 you thought 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Axsman, AMEN to your post.
it is BLOODY obvious when booking what you do and dont pay for, if you struggle with it maybe online purchasing isnt for you and you should go to a travel agent who will do it for you for a considerable premium.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| alex_heney wrote: |
| Ski carriage is a selectable option, and it does alter the "total Price" shown when you select it. |
In that case, I don't see the OP's problem, apart from taking on a gallon of Stella.
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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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| richmond wrote: |
| alex_heney wrote: |
| Ski carriage is a selectable option, and it does alter the "total Price" shown when you select it. |
In that case, I don't see the OP's problem, apart from taking on a gallon of Stella. |
Presactly. neither do most of us
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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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I'm glad that we've sorted it all out.
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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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Well, bug me. What a can of worms i've opened up here. Thanks to all for advice & replies. Have now (unhappily) paid ski carriage. Still can't find the tickbox online, but don't want to go into that lot again. P.S. Anyone arinsal for last week of march, fancy a gallon of stella? [/b]
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| justme wrote: |
| Have now (unhappily) paid ski carriage. Still can't find the tickbox online, but don't want to go into that lot again. |
For reference for the next time, it is on the screen after you select the room(s) and occupant(s).
That screen is the one for optional extras and has a number of options, most of which are "collapsed" initially.
If you click on the "ski equipment (click to expand)" option, it expands, and one of the options there is for ski carriage (still £30, you won't get it for less with Thomson/Crystal).
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Looking at the cost of carrying skis on Ryanair, I thought of booking a seat for them, would have worked out much cheaper than putting them in the hold.
Would have been interesting getting a passport for Mr Atomic SX7 though and the chaos it would cause on the metal detector........
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arlberg, Would they have their own carry on and check in limits? What if they wanted to take skis with them?
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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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Well made it there & back, was not at all surprised to see various people at the checkin desk looking very pissed off at havin to pay 40 quid. "we booked online and there was no option for ski carriage" They all sang.
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FAQ
