It’s not often I run into a dilemma when booking flights. Usually it’s pretty easy to make a selection as it’s not exactly rocket science. For once, I’m a little bit stumped.
In July I’ll be heading back from Australia and landing in Oslo thanks to some decent pricing. That means I need to get from Oslo to Dublin, which seems straightforward but isn’t really.
My Dilemma
Touchdown in Oslo is at 10:40, leaving ample time for a flight to Dublin. The only airline with a direct flight is Scandinavian Airlines, which is fine. Timing wise, it also works perfectly, leaving at 13:30 and landing in Dublin at 14:50. The price is the deal breaker for me.
They charge €205.57 for SAS Go Smart which is economy class with a bag, or it’s €292.57 for SAS Plus Pro. I’m leaning toward the latter, because it is refundable and who knows what will happen between now and then. But €292.57 for premium economy? I could save about €50 by adding on lounge access and food to the lower fare, but then it’s not refundable.
Alternatively, I could go economy on KLM via Amsterdam – leaving 14:15, landing 20:15 – for €147. However, to make that refundable it would increase to €201. When it gets up to that level, I find the extra €90 for business class on other airlines to get lounge access, free food and drink and all the perks very much worthwhile. See my dilemma?
Other Considerations
By the time I arrive in Oslo, I am going to be all travelled out. I’m flying Sydney to Hong Kong for nine hours, have five and a half hours there, then a 12 hour flight Hong Kong to London, two and a half hours in London, then another two hour flight to Oslo.
Overall Thoughts
It’s an annoying dilemma to have. If the SAS flights were not over priced and also covered by a Book With Confidence type refund scheme, I’d be far happier to just book them. Since they’re not, I am forced to choose a refundable fare and pay extra. However, it’s not good value for money paying €300 for that.
All the other flights I’d happily take, but the waiting around in airports aspect is going to be annoying. I’m also forced to pay more as it seems Air France and KLM are only allowing refunds on cheap tickets through to 1 July 2022 and I’m going after that policy expires. Apart from the waiting around, getting home around midnight instead of around 17:00 is far less desirable.
I’m sure I’ll end up working it out at some stage. I think for my own sanity I’ll just have to pony up and pay SAS the €292 for the convenience of it all. Through gritted teeth it will be though! Anyone got any Star Alliance miles who wants to book me a ticket? 😉
What would you do in this situation having weighed up the costs vs benefits? I’d be curious to hear your opinion. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by BriYYZ on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons.
Air France image by Magic Aviation via Wikimedia Commons.
KLM image by Jeroen Stroes Aviation Photography via Wikimedia Commons.
If it was me I’d pay SAS €205 and add the lounge access and food to the lower fare, it’s already long flight as it’s , no need for London, Paris or AMS stop over
I think you may be right. I’m not going to be in the mood to do another stop by that stage. Thanks for that!
Can you drop the last leg of your flight from SYD to OSL, and then just find a quick & cheap flight for the hop from LHR-DUB?
That would be ideal, but it would require them agreeing in Sydney to short-check the luggage to London Heathrow so I could retrieve it and check-in for the next flight. Apart from the fact check-in agents might not do it, airlines really frown upon this. The reason being is that had I booked Sydney to Dublin on the way back, I would have paid one thousand Euro extra for my ticket. Hence Oslo. Good idea though, and if I could do that I would, absolutely.
When you say that Air France offers proper business class, how do you mean? I thought that Turkish was the only regular carrier to have that within Europe.
Air France have proper business class versus SAS. SAS Plus is pitched as premium economy – they give you food free, lounge access, fast-track and so on, but no middle seat kept free. The meals are also just food in a box from what I can see. By comparison, Air France do middle seat free, it looks like pre-departure drinks, meals served on proper china and so on. Hence proper business class. If you thought I meant proper business class aka the fat seats like they do in the USA and Australia and a few other places, well no, it… Read more »