The Adventure of Booking Air Tickets

I wish I could predict airfares.

Recently I had a very frustrating experience with buying air tickets. The story starts with my plan to follow my parents to UK to attend my sister’s graduation. Because I have a longer holiday, my parents and I agreed that we will fly to UK together, and come back separately. We requested our travel agent to check if there is any good deal during the recent Matta Fair. Her best offer to us was RM4200 per round trip to London via Thai Airways.

I thought the price was quite high, plus we will lose a lot of time during transit. I did my own research, and managed to find a relatively good deal from Etihad Airways, which is RM3900 per round trip to London. I was very excited and “kan-cheong” at the same time, because there were 4 seats left only. I proceeded immediately to booking, but I faced a problem -- I could only buy one ticket at a time due to credit limit. I was concerned that the stupid slow internet connection at my hostel would slow down the online purchasing process. What if someone goes and “chop” all the other tickets while I am buying one ticket? I had no choice but to take the risk. Luckily, all went well and the tickets were booked successfully.

But my happiness was short-lived. Within the next hour, I found out that it is even cheaper to fly to London and return from Manchester! That also works out to be a better itinerary because my sister goes to Manchester University. That was when I really felt like banging my head on the wall. I was a fool! Somehow, I just got it in my head that flights to London are generally cheaper than to Manchester. That's why I didn't bother checking in the first place. Now if I want to change the booking, the penalty charges will be RM100, and mind you, the price difference of the tickets will not be honored if the new price is cheaper. What a bummer!

I had yet to buy my own air ticket by then. I planned to stay longer and go Paris with my sister; hence I needed to book a return trip from Paris instead. I found a great deal: RM3413 to fly London (with my parents) and return from Paris. However, luck was not on my side when I tried to book the ticket. First, my debit card didn’t work; second, no one answers my phone when I called the debit card’s customer service (multiple times); third, and the worst of all, the price hiked up the next day to RM4013, which is a RM600 difference! I was seriously very upset. I simply couldn’t accept the fact that I almost had the deal, but then lost it in such a short time due to such stupid circumstances. I even thought of asking the debit card company to compensate for the opportunity lost!

Anyway, life moves on. I tried to scout for other options, but just couldn’t find the next best thing. I almost gave up on the trip until I made a new discovery during a phone call to Etihad Airways. Apparently there were tickets selling at RM3713 for the same route but on a different day. I was both confused and surprised. I had been spending so much time playing around with different conbinations of date and destination, I couldn’t have missed that price. So I went to check online again, and the agent was right, it was selling for RM3713! Without losing time, I immediately tried to book the ticket (I had already solved my debit card problem by then). Again, my debit card didn’t work, or rather, in a more objective context, Etihad Airways was experiencing difficulties processing my payment. I tried a few more times, it still didn’t work. I knew there was no point calling the debit card company, so I decided to book directly from the airline via telephone call.

“Sorry, miss, but I am afraid the price just went up to RM4013.”

" (OS: WTF!) How could that be? I just called you one hour ago, and you told me the price was RM3713. Now on my computer screen, it is still showing RM3713, but the thing is the (OS: f**king stupid) system is not processing my payment!!!”

Ok, I hope you get the idea. This whole experience of booking air tickets is just extremely frustrating. The price fluctuates like crazy, and there is no way to predict which way it is going. According to the agent, the airline only offers limited seats for a certain low price, when those seats are booked, the remaining seats will sell for a higher price; but sometimes, those low-price seats will become available again, if the customers/agents do not confirm their bookings before a certain deadline. So this agent was kind enough to offer to help me monitor the price for the rest of the day, in case people give up their bookings. I wasn't carrying too much hope, I didn't want to be disappointed again. I was already losing out. I wasted too much time on the computer when I was supposed to be studying, my eyes were sore, my back was aching, and I still didn’t have a ticket.

In the end, I managed to get my ticket for RM3746. Someone released his/her booking, but somehow, the price had already increased by USD10, maybe due to change in currency exchange rate, interest rate, fuel rate, tax rate……God knows. I really wish I could predict airfares. But for now, I am happy enough to not have to go through the ups and downs of airfare fluctuation again, at least not in the near future.

Life as a student, again

As of 1 March, I am officially a graduate student at Monash University Sunway, studying for a master degree in International Business.

I have finally settled down at Sun-U-Residences, which is a hostel managed by the Sunway University College. I am staying in a twin-sharing room, but I don't have a room-mate yet. There are 2 more double rooms and 1 single rooms within the unit. One of the double rooms is occupied by 2 girls from China, another by 2 girls from Nigeria; whereas the single room is occupied by a girl from Tanzania. Not much interactions with my house-mates so far, except for S from Tanzania. Very interesting stories she had told me about her home country, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located (maybe I will write about them in a different post).

There are part-time and full-time students in my classes. There are 3 girls whom I am closer with, all of them part-timers. NC is working at UOB, EW at Public Bank and WW at IBM. Most people from my classes do not have business background, which is a relief I suppose, because we are starting off at the same level. After 4 days of classes, I can already foresee my future days being buried in endless reading and writing. The last and only economic class I have taken was "Introduction to Macroeconomics" back in 2nd year of college, so there is definitely a lot of catching up to do.

Not having a car here is a handicap. There is a free shuttle bus that goes to Sunway Pyramid from the hostel. The longest that I have waited (exposed to blazing hot sun albeit standing under the shelter of the bus stop) is 30 minutes, and the shortest 15 minutes. Plus it takes me 5-10 minutes to walk to school (one way), and some times I have to make several trips to school to use the wireless network there simply because the internet service at my hostel is crap. The distance is actually nothing to complain about, I have walked farther distance; it's the weather that is the killer, not to forget the risk of being mugged/snatched on the street as well (as so many have warned me by now). Maybe I was too pampered with the efficient public transportation of other more developed countries; I felt so wretched everytime I strain my neck looking beyond the horizon for the bus that has yet to come, sweats are pouring down like rain, and I really feel like dying of dehydration. But I guess I am getting a hang of it now. Umbrella, jacket, UV sun-screen and a book for leisure-reading are items not to be missed everytime I walk out the door.

That's all for now, my new life as a student at Sunway. Until next time then, take care.