Author Topic: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!  (Read 6871 times)

Offline Moishebatchy

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Transaero has some really cheap biz fares right now - and for prime summer dates, no less! For example, I found TLV-NYC leaving two days after Tisha B'av and coming back around Rosh Chodesh Elul for $1,414.05 round-trip - heck, even economy can cost that much in the summertime! Matrix is not showing these prices, but you can check directly on Transaero's web site.

I put "LUKEWARM!!!!" in the thread title instead of "HOT!!!!" because... well, after all, it is Transaero. :P

But if you're not such a feinschmecker, and just want cheap business class... go for it!

Offline Copernicus

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2015, 02:01:51 PM »
because... well, after all, it is Transaero. :P

Ha, I like how you added that in.  I flew Transaero once about a year ago and will never fly them again.  Worse than Aeroflot ever was...

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2015, 02:10:30 PM »
Ha, I like how you added that in.  I flew Transaero once about a year ago and will never fly them again.  Worse than Aeroflot ever was...

Well, duh... that's like saying "Buick is worse than Lexus ever was" - Aeroflot was ALWAYS the better of the two. In fact, Aeroflot is so good that (as a travel agent) I literally have customers asking me specifically for Aeroflot over other airlines. I'm not kidding.

Anyway... granted, in economy, Transaero is subpar. But I've heard some pretty good rumblings about their business and first classes. Heck, even Lucky is intrigued...

Offline Copernicus

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2015, 02:19:14 PM »
Aeroflot has really stepped up its game.  Four or five years ago I'd have put them nearly on par with Transaero.  Aeroflot is still far from my airline of choice but I'll fly them on occasion. 

Sounds like a really good deal anyways.  Like you said, even economy can cost more.

Offline shimino1

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2015, 02:31:09 PM »
Dont forget that for the 4 hours TLV-VKO youre sitting in coach.

Offline ilherman

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2015, 02:38:43 PM »
Dont forget that for the 4 hours TLV-VKO youre sitting in coach.
I know what you mean but must people don't, please be more clear. Also, same goes for AF/KLM/LH/OS..
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2015, 02:42:42 PM »
Dont forget that for the 4 hours TLV-VKO youre sitting in coach.

Dude, even if you fly Lufthansa First Class, you're sitting in "coach" for TLV-FRA. Stop sowing panic amongst the ignorant masses. 😜

Offline AsherO

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2015, 03:10:06 PM »
Dude, even if you fly Lufthansa First Class, you're sitting in "coach" for TLV-FRA. Stop sowing panic amongst the ignorant masses. 😜

Can't compare LH coach to UN coach...
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Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2015, 04:31:58 PM »
Can't compare LH coach to UN coach...

Sheesh... IT'S NOT COACH, BRO.

Offline MosheD

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2015, 04:45:14 PM »
If this is still alive, totally think this is ddms material...

Offline Dan

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2015, 06:53:00 PM »
Clicked on business and the next screen showed this...
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2015, 10:16:31 AM »
Okay, I apparently have WAY too much time on my hands. I just investigated the matter VERY thoroughly, and here are my findings. First of all, for the simpletons here, who just want to know the practical results:

1) This fare is bookable on Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia etc. for $1581!!!! No monkey business, no messing around with Transaero's backward website - just enter your desired dates of travel and select "Business". If you want to call a traditional, flesh-and-blood travel agent, make sure to specify you want your flights booked in "M class".

2) The fare rules seem to indicate that these fares qualify for FREE CHANGES!

3) This fare is valid BOTH WAYS - TLV-NYC as well as NYC-TLV.


And now, for those of you who want a look behind the scenes (especially if youre interested in that juicy $1414 price), here's a presentation that would make Arrows & Squares™ proud. >:D

Stay tuned for my next post...


Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #12 on: July 02, 2015, 11:12:57 AM »
I decided to look up the UN fares in Sabre for TLV-NYC. Here's what I found:



As you can see, there are two fares in the center, that I circled in red - YRT1 and MEE3M1. The first letter generally indicates the fare class that will be used, so these fares are for Y and M classes.

Y is traditionally the highest fare class for economy; M seems to be Transaero's lowest fare class for business. In this case, Y seems not to be regular economy, but rather a "hybrid" of economy and business - it's an economy fare, with economy luggage allowance, but with business class seating, yet no lounge access. M, on the other hand, is straightforward business class.

Here, let me demonstrate. Here's the "rule application" fare rule for YRT1:



As you can see, it says "level of travel economy class fare" and "these fares apply for economy class service", however it says "business class service on board", which means you will be seated in a business class seat. I'll provide the proof of that shortly.

Here's the "rule application" fare rule for MEE3M1:



...like I said, this one is a straightforward, ordinary business class fare. Unrestricted, too. :)


Now, let's see how it prices out in real life. We'll use Dan's sample dates, July 22 to August 23. Here's the Y class version:



Okay, so it's pricing out at $1562.36 - I guess American GDSs get charged more. :( But it is clearly the same fare - in Dan's screenshot it says the base fare is $1095, and in my screenshot the base fare (top left, under "DEPARTURE DATE") is $1095. And what do we see? Underneath the pricing info, where it says the baggage policy, it shows the regular economy allowance of 2 bags of 55 pounds each... HOWEVER, underneath that, I've pulled up the seat map for the VKO-NYC flight, and it's the business class seatmap! So in summary... it's an economy ticket, for all intents and purposes, except for the fact that you get to sit in a business seat. Which for most people, is the most important part, anyway. :)

Now, let's take a look at the M class version:



This one is a regular business class ticket - it even has the business class baggage allowance of 2 bags of 70 pounds each.

But take note of something else... the base fare is $1115 - that's only $20 more than the Y class fare! And indeed, it reflects in the final price; you'll notice that in my screenshots, the total price for Y is is $1562.36, while M is $1582.36 - the difference in total price is also only $20 (i.e. it's not like business has higher YQ or something).

Therefore, in theory, if you could get the Transaero site to price it in M class (or maybe call them on the phone?) - or find some other site that's giving the $1414 price for the Y class fare, such as a Russian OTA, maybe - you should be able to get the FULL BUSINESS CLASS FARE for just $1434, including free changes and business luggage allowance!!!

And if not... it appears that Kayak, etc. are showing the M class fare, not the Y class. So if you don't mind paying a little extra for simplicity, go for that, and you'll be fine.

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2015, 11:21:26 AM »
They must know about the 3 weeks :P
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Offline ar

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2015, 11:24:14 AM »
Thanks for all these details Mr. Moishebatchy! You seem to know the travel systems well.

Quick question, I looked up online for photos of Transaero's business cabin which doesn't look too great... Anyone flew with them in business? Can you share your experience with them?

Offline AsherO

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #15 on: July 02, 2015, 11:35:06 AM »
When I flew UN for Pesach, some young wannabe-hotshot wasn't in the lounge, but boasted that he was flying Biz. I guess Y-class explains that.
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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2015, 11:41:43 AM »
When I flew UN for Pesach, some young wannabe-hotshot wasn't in the lounge, but boasted that he was flying Biz. I guess Y-class explains that.

How is UN business?

Offline MosheD

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2015, 01:18:01 PM »
I'd also guess that if you show up in the lounge with a boarding pass that says seat 2a, they probably wouldnt know better and let you in. So all your missing in Y class is luggage. Although as mb stated its only $20.

Also, great post mb. That canliterally be copy pasted to ddms

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2015, 01:27:24 PM »
On M class tickets, since dates are changeable, will they charge difference in fare when changing dates?
How long would the dates be changeable for?

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Re: LUKEWARM!!!! TLV-NYC in business class for less than $1,500!!!!
« Reply #19 on: July 02, 2015, 02:24:34 PM »
I decided to look up the UN fares in Sabre for TLV-NYC. Here's what I found:



As you can see, there are two fares in the center, that I circled in red - YRT1 and MEE3M1. The first letter generally indicates the fare class that will be used, so these fares are for Y and M classes.

Y is traditionally the highest fare class for economy; M seems to be Transaero's lowest fare class for business. In this case, Y seems not to be regular economy, but rather a "hybrid" of economy and business - it's an economy fare, with economy luggage allowance, but with business class seating, yet no lounge access. M, on the other hand, is straightforward business class.

Here, let me demonstrate. Here's the "rule application" fare rule for YRT1:


As you can see, it says "level of travel economy class fare" and "these fares apply for economy class service", however it says "business class service on board", which means you will be seated in a business class seat. I'll provide the proof of that shortly.

Here's the "rule application" fare rule for MEE3M1:


...like I said, this one is a straightforward, ordinary business class fare. Unrestricted, too. :)



Now, let's take a look at the M class version:



This one is a regular business class ticket - it even has the business class baggage allowance of 2 bags of 70 pounds each.

But take note of something else... the base fare is $1115 - that's only $20 more than the Y class fare! And indeed, it reflects in the final price; you'll notice that in my screenshots, the total price for Y is is $1562.36, while M is $1582.36 - the difference in total price is also only $20 (i.e. it's not like business has higher YQ or something).

Therefore, in theory, if you could get the Transaero site to price it in M class (or maybe call them on the phone?) - or find some other site that's giving the $1414 price for the Y class fare, such as a Russian OTA, maybe - you should be able to get the FULL BUSINESS CLASS FARE for just $1434, including free changes and business luggage allowance!!!

And if not... it appears that Kayak, etc. are showing the M class fare, not the Y class. So if you don't mind paying a little extra for simplicity, go for that, and you'll be fine.

what is 'w' class on UN
i just checked my reservation
i am in 'w' which should be economy
but my daughter who is a lap child is in 'm' class ?????
unless i am reading the wrong thing
« Last Edit: July 02, 2015, 02:31:57 PM by SOS »