Oman Air

[tuktukmike]

Got a return flight with Oman Air for the 9th june but wanted to fly back earlier, so as I have done many times with Emirates and Etihad I called the Bangkok call centre.

When I told them the date I wanted to change to they said they were full in that class (economy) but if I paid 17,825 baht I could upgrade, I dont want to waste money so I turned it down said thanks and ended the call.

I then went to their web site and found seats in economy available for the day I asked for, so I called them back and told them that they had seats available in economy on the day I wanted so would not need to upgrade.

Shock horror the 17,825 was not in fact really an upgrade but a charge from Economy to economy, my ticket they say is class L (must mean low class) and I needed to upgrade to K economy. For this they even give me the exact same seat Im already booked on.

The ticket was originally bought through their own online booking system and at no time was there anything to suggest that I was booking some sort of low grade economy ticket, christ I can book a new return with other airlines for 18525 thb.

Also their Muscat call centre are as much use as a chocolate tea pot, send an e mail and the response is sort of robotic. I have sadly seen since on Skytrak posters with the same experiance.

Well you could say I have learned my lesson the hard way but I fancied a change of airline for once, Never again.

In future Emirates or Etihad everytime.

TTM

[endure]

Did you read the conditions of booking before you paid for your ticket?

[tuktukmike]

To be honest im not sure if I did or not, I have booked so many flights from the uk to Thailand over the past 12 years yet never encountered this before.

Up until very recent I was a Gold member for years with Skywards (emirates) and dont recall ever buying some sort of low class economy, In fact I always assumed if you booked direct with the airline (online with no travel agent involved) this could not be the case.

And regardless 17825thb, are they mad.

TTM

[yermanee]

To be honest im not sure if I did or not, I have booked so many flights from the uk to Thailand over the past 12 years yet never encountered this before.

Up until very recent I was a Gold member for years with Skywards (emirates) and dont recall ever buying some sort of low class economy, In fact I always assumed if you booked direct with the airline (online with no travel agent involved) this could not be the case.

And regardless 17825thb, are they mad.

TTM

I'm afraid it's not a rip off but conditions attached to your booking as mentioned by Endure.

Economy class seats are divided into multiple sub-classes i.e. the cheaper the fare you pay the more restrictions apply.

I understand that you feel cheated but it often helps to be informed.

Yermanee

[planemad]

I can see your point. I fly Oman Air (from Oman) all the time and they are very good.........in the air! However, I have many Omani friends who will not fly with them for the very reason you are talking about. The details are in the small print. Book early, fly what you book and no problem, change your schedule and they want extra. Their flights to/from BKK are always 95% full, you figure.

PM

[brizzle]

I booked a return biz ticket from the UK and was sure that the fare conditions stipulated a 200 GBP change fee. However on contacting the agent I booked through I was told the cost would be 50 GBP and that was the booking agents fee and not Oman Air. So for me things worked out better than expected.

Oman Air are also providing me with a free stopover hotel including meals and transfers in Muscat. As has already been mentioned the ''in the air'' experience is very good with Oman and you will see generally positive reviews on skytrax.

I do understand your frustration but economy ,biz and first travel do come with several different booking codes and if there are no cheaper seats left under your booking code on your new date then you have to pay the difference in price. It's all about supply and demand at the end of the day....Oman Air are no different from any other airline in relation to this.

[UbonOz]

I booked a return biz ticket from the UK and was sure that the fare conditions stipulated a 200 GBP change fee. However on contacting the agent I booked through I was told the cost would be 50 GBP and that was the booking agents fee and not Oman Air. So for me things worked out better than expected.

Oman Air are also providing me with a free stopover hotel including meals and transfers in Muscat. As has already been mentioned the ''in the air'' experience is very good with Oman and you will see generally positive reviews on skytrax.

I do understand your frustration but economy ,biz and first travel do come with several different booking codes and if there are no cheaper seats left under your booking code on your new date then you have to pay the difference in price. It's all about supply and demand at the end of the day....Oman Air are no different from any other airline in relation to this.

Correct.

Everybody should know by now that airlines are a bunch of robbers, they are all the same.

Always, always, read the fare rules when booking.

Economy class is broken down into classes, L, B, X etc. Each class has a fare. Only so many seats are allocated in each class. The cheapest fare obviously sells first, so, the closer you get to the day of departure the dearer the fare, in nearly every case, as all the cheaper seats have been sold.

It is unfortunate that if you have to make changes close to departure you are going to get slugged a fee, more if you have to change class.

[tuktukmike]

Sure I sort of understand what others have said regarding differing economy class, but when you book direct with them on their own web site you sure as help dont expect to be sold some cheap seat. Remember this way they do not incur any agents fees. Why have I never had this problem with emirates or etihad. Lets be honest here 17825thb is little more than extortion, we all know the price we can get one way. As for the terminal in muscat only one word. Dump. Ttm.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[WilliaminBKK]

Were they willing to waitlist you in the correct inventory bucket ? often airlines will allow that for 24 hours if the waitlist clears than a simple change fee applies, if not a higher fare class would apply. FYI Y class can have up to 12 different buckets of inventory and it does get confusing at times so always ask for waitlist prior to making a costly change.

[endure]

I booked a return biz ticket from the UK and was sure that the fare conditions stipulated a 200 GBP change fee. However on contacting the agent I booked through I was told the cost would be 50 GBP and that was the booking agents fee and not Oman Air. So for me things worked out better than expected.

Oman Air are also providing me with a free stopover hotel including meals and transfers in Muscat. As has already been mentioned the ''in the air'' experience is very good with Oman and you will see generally positive reviews on skytrax.

I do understand your frustration but economy ,biz and first travel do come with several different booking codes and if there are no cheaper seats left under your booking code on your new date then you have to pay the difference in price. It's all about supply and demand at the end of the day....Oman Air are no different from any other airline in relation to this.

Correct.

Everybody should know by now that airlines are a bunch of robbers, they are all the same.

I don't think that someone who's willing to carry you half-way round the world for ~10 pence a mile can be called a 'robber'. It costs 60 pence a mile for me to catch the bus into town.

Edited April 4, 2012 by endure

[Boxter]

Hi, sorry basic stupid question (can't find it on teak door either) how on earth do i post a new post??? Can't see the option anywhere but obviously it's there, I'm reading yours. Am I blonde or what?????

[UbonOz]

Hi, sorry basic stupid question (can't find it on teak door either) how on earth do i post a new post??? Can't see the option anywhere but obviously it's there, I'm reading yours. Am I blonde or what?????

Are you logged in?

[UbonOz]

"Start New Topic" top right

[sparebox2]

Try AirAsia next time.

Perhaps they are more flexible in accommodating your last minute changes, and perhaps for free too.

[RHCP]

I think it is more of a case that the different booking class codes are not publicized much or clarified in sufficient detail and this applies to many airlines.

Concerning Oman, we booked a return in Business Class last year expecting the limousine service which they promote only to find out later that the ticket class code didn’t qualify for this service.

I agree with many that their in-flight service is excellent although on the ground they need to improve based on our experience last year.

[Chivas]

If seats had been available in the same class that you already held then it would no doubt have been Oman's standard fee change of £50.

No seats in that class then you wait until there is, or pay the difference as others have stated for a higher fare ticket. Makes no difference that you will be sat in exactly the same economy seat.

Had same options on both Etihad and Emirates in the past and just waited till my class of ticket was available.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Chivas

[tuktukmike]

Chivas,If seats had been available in the same class that you already held then it would no doubt have been Oman's standard fee change of £50.

No seats in that class then you wait until there is, or pay the difference as others have stated for a higher fare ticket. Makes no difference that you will be sat in exactly the same economy seat.

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Im sorry am I missing something here, So exactly the same seat carries a charge of over 17 thousand baht. Just maybe its me and somehow i have lost the plot.

But this sort of charge when they admit they have empty seats in economy just does not make sense,

Why when I have as always booked direct with Emirates/Etihad/BA/Eva/Sri Lanka/Thai have I never encountered this problem.

I will now book a new flight with another airline and Oman can stick their airline where the sun dont shine.

TTM.

[PattayaParent]

Sure I sort of understand what others have said regarding differing economy class, but when you book direct with them on their own web site you sure as help dont expect to be sold some cheap seat. Remember this way they do not incur any agents fees. Why have I never had this problem with emirates or etihad. Lets be honest here 17825thb is little more than extortion, we all know the price we can get one way. As for the terminal in muscat only one word. Dump. Ttm.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

You would if that's the seat / price you chose.

[yermanee]

Chivas,If seats had been available in the same class that you already held then it would no doubt have been Oman's standard fee change of £50.

No seats in that class then you wait until there is, or pay the difference as others have stated for a higher fare ticket. Makes no difference that you will be sat in exactly the same economy seat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Im sorry am I missing something here, So exactly the same seat carries a charge of over 17 thousand baht. Just maybe its me and somehow i have lost the plot.

But this sort of charge when they admit they have empty seats in economy just does not make sense,

Why when I have as always booked direct with Emirates/Etihad/BA/Eva/Sri Lanka/Thai have I never encountered this problem.

I will now book a new flight with another airline and Oman can stick their airline where the sun dont shine.

TTM.

To OP : Just to make it clear that Oman Air is not at fault, here's an extract from their fare conditions available on their website :

// CHANGES BEFORE OUTBOUND DEPARTURE //

WHEN THE FIRST FARE COMPONENT IS CHANGED.

THE ITINERARY MUST BE RE-PRICED USING FARES IN

EFFECT ON THE DATE THE TICKET IS REISSUED.THE NEW

ITINERARY MUST MEET ALL RULE PROVISIONS OF THE

NEWLY TICKETED FARE I.E. ADVANCE RESERVATIONS/

TICKETING DEADLINE/MINIMUM/MAXIMUM STAY/BOOKING

CLASS/SEASONALITY ETC.

So again it's not a rip-off.

Next time read the conditions before you book. It should be no surprise that one airline does it just a bit different than another.

It's always easier to blame someone else isn't it.

Yermanee

[tuktukmike]

Nonsense, what you have posted is as clear as mud.

Regardless of wheather or not I should have read the fine print which of course in most cases you would need a legal team to decipher the re-booking cost is absurd and of course you know it.

Oh by the way this is not an outbound departure but a return so can not be classed as a first fare component. It is in fact the 3rd section.

I have over the last 12 years travelled First and Business class as well as economy and now wonder if there are differing tiers in these classes, anyone know if this is the case?.

TTM

[yermanee]

Nonsense, what you have posted is as clear as mud.

Regardless of wheather or not I should have read the fine print which of course in most cases you would need a legal team to decipher the re-booking cost is absurd and of course you know it.

Oh by the way this is not an outbound departure but a return so can not be classed as a first fare component. It is in fact the 3rd section.

I have over the last 12 years travelled First and Business class as well as economy and now wonder if there are differing tiers in these classes, anyone know if this is the case?.

TTM

Only me and half of the participants on this thread have told you so.

But you don't have to believe us.

Do a ghost booking on qatar airways and you can choose which subclass you want to use, each one a different price off course and different restrictions.

Yermanee

[Chivas]

Nonsense, what you have posted is as clear as mud.

Regardless of wheather or not I should have read the fine print which of course in most cases you would need a legal team to decipher the re-booking cost is absurd and of course you know it.

Oh by the way this is not an outbound departure but a return so can not be classed as a first fare component. It is in fact the 3rd section.

I have over the last 12 years travelled First and Business class as well as economy and now wonder if there are differing tiers in these classes, anyone know if this is the case?.

TTM

Try and grasp something quite simple which is used throughout the Airline Industry.

In economy you'll find typically 6 classes of tickets and on occasions 8.

Each class of ticket has different rules and regulations as to what you can or cannot do. In your case you're trying to revalidate a ticket for which the booking class is already full. Oman are stating to you that a different class IS available at the cost quoted. Its your choice whether to take it or not.

If not try for different dates when your original class IS available at which point you'll pay Oman's standard fee for a date change in your original class. Its also quite possible there is no fee payable if you remain and revalidate in the same class.

Quite simple.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Chivas

[PattayaParent]

Nonsense, what you have posted is as clear as mud.

Regardless of wheather or not I should have read the fine print which of course in most cases you would need a legal team to decipher the re-booking cost is absurd and of course you know it.

Oh by the way this is not an outbound departure but a return so can not be classed as a first fare component. It is in fact the 3rd section.

I have over the last 12 years travelled First and Business class as well as economy and now wonder if there are differing tiers in these classes, anyone know if this is the case?.

TTM

Only me and half of the participants on this thread have told you so.

But you don't have to believe us.

Do a ghost booking on qatar airways and you can choose which subclass you want to use, each one a different price off course and different restrictions.

Yermanee

Or just use a flight search engine, the results will return different prices for exactly the same flights due to the different fare structures / restrictions / terms.