RyanAir by Alegbra
I have to hand it to RyanAir.
Today I have a flight from London to Dublin. But I now want to fly on a different date because it’s so cold here I fancy some outdoor painting.
So I look up flights, and find the cheapest one I can. Let’s call it x. And obviously there are the usual taxes, fees and charges that give you your real price. Let’s call them f.
But before I pay I’m tempted to look at how much it would cost to change my existing booking rather than make a completely new one.
Surprisingly I find that the I am offered new flights at the same price I was offered them as a new customer - that’s x remember - but with the added and logical bonus of then being given credit for my existing ticket so that the cost is x-y. And anyone can tell you that x-y < x.
But no, it’s not cheaper to change than to book a new flight. Why? Because the taxes, fees and charges are greater if you change.
So:
Brand New Flight x + f
Change Flight (x-y) + g where g > f + y. Or in other words x + f + z.
It’s hardly a surprise that RyanAir make you pay more to change than to book a fresh flight, but it is rather clever that they offer the changed flight at the same base cost and give you credit for what you’ve already paid, whilst still ensuring you may more.
Seeing no reason to pay z unnecessarily, despite it being one of my favourite letters, I’ve paid just x + f.
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