Sarah
I don't want to get into semantics here but your right the fare is the cost of a pssneager’s conveyance. Tax isn't conveyance. Landing fees are not conveyance. Last time I checked (which I admit was a long time ago) the government didn't impose a per pssneager fee or tax on each coach ticket sold which the coach operator was required to collect on behalf of the government when it sold the ticket. Rail is not a good example because it's a controlled situation so let’s get back to bus companies for your Bristol example. Now, I will admit that Bristol Bus Station might charge National Express a fee to use its facilities but usually that is a fixed price per vehicle and not per pssneager. This would be similar to the landing fees paid by the airlines to the airport. The airlines (like the coach operators) include this in the fare since it doesn't vary dependent on the amount of pssneagers. With the exception of fuel surcharges the reason for separation is for accounting purposes. To identify how much goes to each party. If you look at an airline ticket you will notice each of these charges shown separately, the fare followed by the taxes and fees. Each tax/fee has a code which identifies what it's for. In many cases a flight ticket isn't just A to B. It could be A to B to C to A. At each point in the journey there are different fees and taxes to be paid none of which goes to the airline and therefore none of which is part of the cost of conveyance. I agree (and have stated previously in this thread that the total price should be the advertised price). I'm just trying to put an alternative view. Incidentally, something that took me a while to get used to when I came to live here in the U.S. was sales tax. Unlike the UK where prices include V.A.T! The prices in stores here don't include tax. Tax is added at the checkout. The advertised price (or the cost of the item) excludes tax.About travel agents commissions! I have to disagree with you here as well. Agents don't always earn commissions from their suppliers. In fact very few, if any, airlines pay commission. Any agent will mark up an air ticket because otherwise they wouldn't make any money. Some airlines do offer some agents with high volume override payments which are commissions by any other name, but this is not the general rule. Package Holidays and in some cases charter flights do pay commission and generally travel agents won't mark those up. However, there are exceptions and the travel industry is moving evermore to being a fee charging service as suppliers cut costs in every way they can. This of course brings us into the area of what a travel agent is. Some are just booking shops that sell you whats in the brochure and take a commission from the supplier. Others act as a consultancy, making bespoke arrangments to the clients exact needs often with suppliers that don't pay commission. Clients using the latter will often be happy to pay a fee becuase of the higher level of service they receive. A good professional travel agent with experience and the customers best interests at heart will, to their client, be worth the fees thay charge.You are right. Some people know naff all about (the mechanics of) travelHowever, we are getting off the point here which is.. No Ryanair can't justify the fee but (I would suggest that) in its opinion why should it?
Sarah I don't want to get into semantics here but your right the fare is the cost of a pssneager’s conveyance. Tax isn't conveyance. Landing fees are not conveyance. Last time I checked (which I admit was a long time ago) the government didn't impose a per pssneager fee or tax on each coach ticket sold which the coach operator was required to collect on behalf of the government when it sold the ticket. Rail is not a good example because it's a controlled situation so let’s get back to bus companies for your Bristol example. Now, I will admit that Bristol Bus Station might charge National Express a fee to use its facilities but usually that is a fixed price per vehicle and not per pssneager. This would be similar to the landing fees paid by the airlines to the airport. The airlines (like the coach operators) include this in the fare since it doesn't vary dependent on the amount of pssneagers. With the exception of fuel surcharges the reason for separation is for accounting purposes. To identify how much goes to each party. If you look at an airline ticket you will notice each of these charges shown separately, the fare followed by the taxes and fees. Each tax/fee has a code which identifies what it's for. In many cases a flight ticket isn't just A to B. It could be A to B to C to A. At each point in the journey there are different fees and taxes to be paid none of which goes to the airline and therefore none of which is part of the cost of conveyance. I agree (and have stated previously in this thread that the total price should be the advertised price). I'm just trying to put an alternative view. Incidentally, something that took me a while to get used to when I came to live here in the U.S. was sales tax. Unlike the UK where prices include V.A.T! The prices in stores here don't include tax. Tax is added at the checkout. The advertised price (or the cost of the item) excludes tax.About travel agents commissions! I have to disagree with you here as well. Agents don't always earn commissions from their suppliers. In fact very few, if any, airlines pay commission. Any agent will mark up an air ticket because otherwise they wouldn't make any money. Some airlines do offer some agents with high volume override payments which are commissions by any other name, but this is not the general rule. Package Holidays and in some cases charter flights do pay commission and generally travel agents won't mark those up. However, there are exceptions and the travel industry is moving evermore to being a fee charging service as suppliers cut costs in every way they can. This of course brings us into the area of what a travel agent is. Some are just booking shops that sell you whats in the brochure and take a commission from the supplier. Others act as a consultancy, making bespoke arrangments to the clients exact needs often with suppliers that don't pay commission. Clients using the latter will often be happy to pay a fee becuase of the higher level of service they receive. A good professional travel agent with experience and the customers best interests at heart will, to their client, be worth the fees thay charge.You are right. Some people know naff all about (the mechanics of) travelHowever, we are getting off the point here which is.. No Ryanair can't justify the fee but (I would suggest that) in its opinion why should it?