have started looking around but many don't want to know as i wont do budget night flights..

i am very disappointed not only for ourselves but also for the tom/FC shops [i have heard many will close this year] the same will prob happen to TC/Airtours all because they can no longer offer what the customer wants at the price they feel is competertive...

SORRY MOD

wizard

Here is a example, I am off to turkey hotel hemera 28 aug, if I had booked 2 weeks earlier would of saved £500 with thomson or portland all of a sudden the price jumped from £2800 for 4 adults and 1 child in 2 rooms (should of took it instead of thinking what to do because it was a bargain)and the price jumped to £4200. Booked with TC for £3300 after getting travelcare to knock £300 off the price. Checking availability now none of the tour ops have any holidays may to august for the hotel and only cosmos have some september dates with free kids place to 14 the have nothing until october but that is patchy. Last year I could of booked the hemera anytime upto the summer hols. More people have booked early this year instead of leaving it to the last minute.

A my travel shop near to where I live is now a TC shop.

As soon as I saw the mergers announced I knew prices would rise and compitition decrease. I remember when there was a dozen tour op. British airways holidays, thomson. wings, global travel, intersun, loads of specialist companies which have now been bought up by the few and the brouchers disappear. With the mergers complete it will be interesting to what the prices are like for next year.

On the news yesterday it said booking are way up 40% to 60% because of the £25 and £50 deposit on offer, thats why holidays prices are jumping up and availability is now limited.

If they do the same thing for next year hols when they are released in the spring it will be a case of getting in quick for the best prices.

But are the figures an actual improvement over last year sold totals or a percentage improvement on available holidays.
I heard that all the tour ops had bought very much fewer holidays to sell this year which if it is true would explain the price hikes on a supply and demand basis and also allows them to do a UK gov with the figures.

If they had a 1000 cheaper holidays last year and by now had sold 100 they had sold 10%.

If they have 100 dear holidays this year and have sold 20 they have sold 20% of their holidays 100% better than last year! Most of us would class it as a significant drop due to prices but in the world of spin it is a positive.
It would also help explain why they have to try and rake in more money using the phone systems.

I'm like you stevebell, I dont trust the figures when given as percentages and when given by the companys themselves, it's quite possible they are manipulating them in the way you describe. What I do know, is that from a consumer point of view Thomson hols to Red Sea area are far more expensive for the week I want to travel than this time in 2006 and 2007 even talking into account the 'green tax'.

The £25 or £50 deposit would lead to a big increase in bookings, where the normal booking deposit of £120 would see a family of 4 paying £480 compared to £100 or £200. It makes it more affordable to book a holiday and then save the rest up.

Me and my friend want to go to cyprus early march for a week and thomson and portland are the only tour operators that go to the hotel all inclusive but at the moment its so expensive its over £500 each and i only paid £750 for 2 weeks in september,there still seems to be alot of availability for the flight and hotel so im hoping they bring the prices down in the next few weeks, even portlands not coming up any cheaper.

which hotel kerry??

Its the louis phaethon beach hotel,other operators go half board but i really would prefer all inclusive,where looking at going around the 8th march.

below are the contact details for that hotel...
Aphrodite Avenue, Geroskipou
P.O.Box 61017, 8130 Pafos
ZIP:8200 Pafos
Cyprus
Phone1:00357 26 96 46 00,
Email:phaethonresv@louishotels.com

contact them and ask how much they will charge you to upgrade on arrival and see if going B7B +direct charge for upgrade is cheaper than thomson

wizard

thanks for that i will email them,ive been going there every year since 2002 but the prices at the moment seem so high even just a flight is really expensive.

I booked one of the holidays we wanted yesterday through Portland - I rang them and got a further £65 off the internet price. (not quite as cheap as a few weeks ago and we are now travelling from East Midlands instead of Manchester) but I am reasonably pleased with the result. Worked out at £500 cheaper than the Travel Agents prices.

Now I know the brocures are a guide only but in the latest 3rd edition Skytours book we were looking at the May half term holidays and there were a couple we liked so we looked online.
The first one we looked at was listed in the brocure as £495 per adult, online it was now saying £805 per adult!
The second one we looked at said £505 per adult, online it was now saying £830!
I thought it was odd and so checked many other holidays and they ALL had about £300 per adult price hikes on them!

I just feel it's a bit unfair for them to do this and think they're covered because the Latest book is a guide only!
I rang Skytours up and the lady checked through a couple with me and agreed it was strange that there was such a big difference. Especially as the Flight suppliment was only £52 per person! She said it must be because of popular demand! Great I thought!

Now we were only looking at the holidays with Guaranteed free children (skytours have many holidays with free children) so I don't know if they've done this on the holidays without the free children!

Now obviously theres nothing I can do about this but I just thought I'd share my annoyance with you and make sure you don't plan your holidays around Thomsons brocure prices as they mean absolutely nothing!!!!

p.s. I've just checked outside of the Whitsun week and the prices are the same as the brochure!
So even though the prices were already hiked up in the brochure price for whitsun week they have added about £300 per adult for the whit week prices and also the summer holiday prices!

Now before anyone comes on and says, you have to pay more for the school holidays, the brochure was ALREADY higher in price for the school holidays! Just seems they've slapped on £300 per adult to make up for the free child prices?

Ah well, screw em, we'll go with someone else!!!

Now we were only looking at the holidays with Guaranteed free children

WHY in many cases you will find it is cheaper to pay for children [reduced adult price] remembers what your grandma use to say ..you get nowt for owt [nothing is free]

look at booking independent hotels/flights/transfers or a built package through one of the many independent travel agents you may be surprised what savings are available

I know what you're saying but the skytours book had loads of holidays with the guaranteed free child place! The prices were also very reasonable until you actually come to try them out!
Plus booking independantly for whit week is a big no no as the flights alone come to about £900!

Also I've just checked holidays without the free child and they too are bumped up even more than the brochure price by about £300 each adult!

It's like, why even bother with the book if it's no reference of the price?

It's like, why even bother with the book if it's no reference of the price?

I have to agree with you there. The book price never ever reflects what you actually pay. I don't know why they do that in the travel industry. I'd rather know what I have to pay upfront and then pay it, simple.

Sarah

I remember when the broucher was what you paid but all changed when the tour ops airlines had to be treated as a seperate company concerning tax. This has resulted in flight prices going up or down. I think you will find the flight has jumped in price because that is what causes the price hikes. It doesn't surprise me the prices have hiked in a school hol week and remember people were booking this hotel from last april. The £25 and £50 deposits have made a huge difference to how many people have booked up this year and I believe if it was the normal deposit you wouldn't be seeing the price hikes you are seeing now. My holiday with thomas cook to turkey is fully booked from may to august and last year you could booked for any period with one of the 5 tour ops who do the hotel 6 weeks before.

If they are doing the £25 and £50 deposits for next hols when they come on sell get in early.

I agree but this is the 3rd edition of the brochure and also the latest one!
I very much doubt flights have gone up by £300 per adult?
It's obviously a way of making some more money but how many people like me haven't bothered booking because of the price hike? They can only have a certain number of places to fill at the hotels so it's not like they've already sold their allocation at the cheaper price!