You can now fly the Qatar Airways Qsuite in business class from Manchester Airport

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• BJ says:

  15 Jan15 January 05:08

  We don’t all see qsuite as a present. Even if it were guaranteed from EDI we would still not be flying Qatar or via ME. We ignore them even if they are the only airline with award seats available on the dates we require.

  • Algor says:

    15 Jan15 January 05:50

    Thank you!

    More award seats available for the rest of us.

    • BJ says:

      15 Jan15 January 06:19

      Welcome to them 🙂 I have flew all of ME3 and am not saying I wouldn’t again but it would probably be last choice for me. I have no problems at all with others choosing them.

  • John says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:22

    I don’t give a toss about Qsuite or not. If QR has a sale where I want to go then that’s the airline I’m flying, if it’s BA with the sale then I’m flying BA. Even the worst QR long-haul plane is acceptable when I’m paying less than £60 per flight hour.

  • Polly says:

    15 Jan15 January 10:07

    It’s AY for you all the way tho, as you like your directs….

    • BJ says:

      15 Jan15 January 11:04

      AY is very frustrating for our winter flights as they never release EDI schedules in good time so it is BA all the way at Xmas. For other times, cash/schedule wins which usually means AF/KLM bug thst could be changing to LH by looks of things lately. Extra 241s going forward if BAPP survives and I continue to earn sufficient avios may mean more BA.

      • Polly says:

        16 Jan16 January 08:14

        Well, at least you get your directs over to Asia that way. As you say, the 241s are really useful on those routes. Shame AY is not working the best for you, as it’s so handy for you to connect. We are heading out that way sat week, can’t wait, but on qr from Arn tho.

• VJ says:

  15 Jan15 January 06:15

  O/T – I wonder if Barclays HH Card still treat HMRC/NSI transaction through Curve as payments.

  • John says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:23

    Yes

• ChrisC says:

  15 Jan15 January 07:12

  One issue that the Government needs to answer is why didn’t they miss £100million in income and why wasn’t the APD put into an escrow account by Flybe so thy couldn’t use it to pay their day to day bills and if it’s not a requirement of the APD HMRC regulations then perhaps it should be.

  • John says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:26

    Should sole traders have to put their estimated income tax and NI into escrow accounts? Should VAT be withheld and remitted to the government whenever someone buys something?

    • Doug M says:

      15 Jan15 January 07:30

      Don’t you think that £100 million was a sum they rather noticed?

    • Steve-B says:

      15 Jan15 January 07:38

      Clearly if they can’t be trusted to set aside their tax debts properly then yes!

    • mvcvz says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:26

      Yes. Definitely. Goes without saying.

      • Rob says:

        15 Jan15 January 08:46

        Every self employed person wishes they did, when the bill comes in. Or you end up like me, facing a self assessment, VAT, 2 x school fees, 2 x kids braces and 1 x post Christmas holiday bill all hitting at the same time!

    • Colin MacKinnon says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:42

      Actually, VAT is due when you invoice, not when you receive the payment.

      So if you don’t get the cash then the VAT part of the bad debt will give you a credit against the next VAT bill.

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        15 Jan15 January 08:55

        Actually that depends on whether you use standard or cash accounting…

        • RussellH says:

          15 Jan15 January 16:24

          Or if you are on something like the Tour Operators Margin Scheme.

      • Lady London says:

        15 Jan15 January 18:02

        A business of which I am a client told me this week that the VAT man instructed them that they are not allowed to issue a VAT receipt until after the goods or service I purchased from them has been consumed. They are.saying that even though prepayment was required with the order, they will only issue a “confirmation of order” for the accommodation.
        Even though its all prepaid. They insist they will not issue any firm of receipt, VAT or otherwise, until after the stay has actually taken place. In all circumstances they would keep at least 10% up to 100% of the money. There would never be a complete refund and quite possibly none at all.

        Intuitively their refusal to issue a receipt until after the stay has taken place is b*11*cks. But could it be correct?

        • TGLoyalty says:

          15 Jan15 January 22:16

          I believe I have read that they do this because they don’t pay VAT if you didn’t make your stay as no value add service was rendered.

    • Will says:

      15 Jan15 January 09:03

      To an extent it’s already in the pipeline, non EU sellers operating in the EU on amazon and eBay will have VAT collected by eBay and Amazon from January next year.

      Massive fraud, it’s nearly put my company out of business, if we had not diversified into zero rated products we would have closed last year….

      http://www.vatfraud.org/

      • Lady London says:

        15 Jan15 January 18:17

        I think the issues are bigger. Amazon themselves has some highly interesting apportionment of revenues across countries. And let’s not get started on Google. Microsoft etc.

        Since governments don’t seem to wean easily off any tax then taxing at the point of consumption, and taxes on transactions generally seems to have become the resort of governments where capital and profits cannot be gotten hands on.

  • Doug M says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:29

    Exactly, it was never their money to spend. Taxpayer support for Virgin’s feeder airline to be. I do hope Delta appreciate the help they’re getting.

  • Peter K says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:51

    I’m no expert, but maybe they did have the money available to pay HMRC but not for day to so expenses. Not having to use the £100M on tax now then frees it up for other things. That is not a great PR line to give the news media though so the APD story comes out, plus that then gives leeway with State Aid rules.

    • Oh! Matron! says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:23

      Not an expert, but you accurately explain what issue FlyBE are having. A lack of liquidity during the quiet months, with the tax bill pushing them over the edge

      I wish Walsh would stop his whining though. If FlyBE were to collapse, BA would cherry pick the routes, creating an almost monopoly in the UK, and the result on smaller communities would be devastating… I don’t know the loads, but Anglesey to Cardiff (yes, an actual route), isn’t a journey I’d want to do either via train or car. And Having lived in Norwich, the relatively short 156 miles by air to Manchester is a ball achingly 4 hours by car, and 4h45 and £102 by train (diesel, by the way, not electric)

      So the rescue needs to be taken into context. Yes, FlyBE needs to get it’s house in order, and with some hopeful leadership from VS that will happen, but it shouldn’t be allowed to collapse

      • Rob says:

        15 Jan15 January 08:47

        In the short term, all variable costs are really fixed costs.

        In the long term, all fixed costs are really variable costs.

        That’s all you need to know to understand the business world.

        • John says:

          15 Jan15 January 09:09

          Fact, and a lot more useful than the entire coursework of an MBA.

        • Mikeact says:

          15 Jan15 January 09:12

          But the investors only putting in another £20 million seems like a drop in the ocean in the overall scheme of things.

        • Rob says:

          15 Jan15 January 10:19

          I agree, it won’t get them far.

        • Shoestring says:

          15 Jan15 January 09:24

          it could be enough for the credit card cos to release more of Flybe’s advance sales money, probably another £50m there? (they started withholding it a few months ago as a precaution)

      • RussellH says:

        15 Jan15 January 16:38

        I needed to travel to Norwich from the Lake District at short notice (for a funeral) a few years ago. Through fare was nothing like £120, and splitting the ticketing into Lake District to Manchester and Manchester to Norwich was much cheaper.
        I found the Manchester – Norwich train perfectly comfortable – certainly more so than a turboprop plane! Plus I would have had to use Manchester Airport. Then get back to Thorpe Station for the nearby Holiday Inn and to meet up with the rest of the family.
        And it is quite a scenic journey in parts – perticulalrly Manchester-Sheffield and around Ely.
        At the time I had no idea that I could have flown part of the way, but TBH would not have considered it anyway.

  • Crafty says:

    15 Jan15 January 21:53

    Travel agents do, so I don’t see why airlines seem not to.

• Steve says:

  15 Jan15 January 07:19

  O/T – what is my best Amex strategy?

  i’ve not had a Gold Rewards or BAPP card for at least 2 years and am targeting a top up of Avious and earning a 241

  • Genghis says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:26

    Have a look around the site.
    Eg https://headforpoints.com/2019/03/21/what-is-the-best-card-strategy-now-for-someone-with-no-american-express-cards/
    I think this article was run more recently too

  • John says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:28

    Provided you haven’t had any Amex for 2 years, get the gold first, then the BAPP, in order to qualify for both signup bonuses.

    • Genghis says:

      15 Jan15 January 07:43

      SPG before then?

      • Genghis says:

        15 Jan15 January 07:45

        As in SPG->Plat->BAPP

      • Pangolin says:

        15 Jan15 January 08:30

        Yes. Get the SPG card while the bonus is still 30000 for £1K spend. The new Marriott card will need £3K spend for just 20000.

  • Peter K says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:55

    You say you’ve not had the Gold card for 2 years. Make sure you’ve not had the platinum either for 2years to get the sign up on the platinum.

    You won’t get another bonus on gold of you’ve had ANY other Amex personal card (e.g. nectar, cashybacky etc).

• New Card says:

  15 Jan15 January 07:24

  I thought VS miles spending on AF/KLM was due to be announced today?… Or is that a special 10am post to come….?

  • Rob says:

    15 Jan15 January 08:50

    I was told on Monday at the awards dinner that it was looking wobbly ….

    • New Card says:

      15 Jan15 January 09:59

      As in, the date is looking wobbly … or the whole thing?!

      • Rob says:

        15 Jan15 January 10:15

        The date.

        Not helped by the fact that Oli Byers has been given a temporary new job in Exeter …

        • Lady London says:

          15 Jan15 January 18:20

          Exeter? How coincidental ! 🙂

• Nick says:

  15 Jan15 January 07:28

  BA boss Willie Walsh is calling the Government’s rescue of Flybe a ‘blatant misuse of public funds’.

  • Doug M says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:32

    Of course he is, how else would he be expected to frame it. I think he’s right in this occasion too.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:09

      Willie should probably keep his mouth shut potentially £10 more profit from domestic flights to come his employers way.

      I’m assuming that it will start with the £26 APD being removed and then Prices will creep up.

      Also easy for his to say with BA’s limited regional services. Flybe offers a service that’s as important in keeping the country connected as buses and trains.

      • Shoestring says:

        15 Jan15 January 08:19

        They’re saying that the APD issue will possibly get resolved as follows:
        – currently 2x £13 (domestic return)
        – Band A (0 – 2,000 miles) = £13
        – proposal: all domestic tickets, single and return, APD will be £13 only

        • Andrew says:

          15 Jan15 January 08:53

          “– proposal: all domestic tickets, single and return, APD will be £13 only”

          “All” is a terrible proposal. There’s no APD on flights from a HIE airport at the moment – which is what complicated matters in Scotland with the devolvement of APD to ADT

          Won’t FlyBe is probably one of the lowest collectors of APD. With nothing to collect for departures from HIE, and probably nothing from IoM, Jersey and Guernsey either.

        • Shoestring says:

          15 Jan15 January 08:58

          ‘all’ except for the exemptions, we need to look after Newquay/ Cornwall first & foremost

        • Bill says:

          15 Jan15 January 11:49

          IOM APD payment is same rates as UK

      • Lady London says:

        15 Jan15 January 18:24

        And do not worry there will be a lot of noise by Government about halving or largely removing domestic APD.

        And not much noise by Government about a contemporaneous or soonly subsequent doubling of international APD. Which of course will yield a lot more tax revenue.

  • Mr(s) Entitled says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:41

    There is no confirmation that public funds have been used.

    The insinuation is that the APD bill has been deferred in some way. It is not uncommon for HMRC to agree repayment plans if they are reasonable. It is better that the government receive all of it over the next year than some of it now as the airline collapses. Heck, if the government is charging interest above inflation than the tax payer may be better off. It’s all speculation and unless WW knows something that isn’t in the public domain he can do one.

    • William Avery says:

      15 Jan15 January 07:55

      Isn’t that missing the wider point? APD is part of the deal? What’s the rest of it?

      I thought we are supposed to be outraged about a govt running the railways but it’s alright to subsidise a failing airline?

      Maybe I’m missing something.

    • Marcw says:

      15 Jan15 January 09:07

      I doubt it. Flybe is a zombie airline… Apparently their loses are getting bigger and bigger after the takeover. It’s likely that in a couple of months, Flybe will be in a similar position.

      All of this is (really) bad press for Flybe. That’s the reality.

      • Bill says:

        15 Jan15 January 11:51

        Sky News website says government are arranging a loan for Flybe at commercial rates

• PB says:

  15 Jan15 January 07:32

  My tax bills are due at the end of the month , can I be excused for a while as well ?

  • Mr(s) Entitled says:

    15 Jan15 January 07:43

    Yes but there may be a penalty. Give HMRC a call.

    • Pb says:

      15 Jan15 January 08:09

      I did wonder what the cost of deferring 100m was going to be , although I think once through to HMRC I may be hanging on a while .

  • Rob says:

    15 Jan15 January 08:49

    Yes you can. HMRCs penalty and interest rates are clearly stated.

• John W says:

  15 Jan15 January 08:09

  Qatar Airways fare Question – If you find a much lower fare via skyscanner on expedia / ebookers ect are you still able to get BA Tier points and avios ?
  Thanks

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    15 Jan15 January 08:59

    Mostly yes but it depends on the booking g class. Check wheretocredit to see what you.might earn for.a given fare type

  • Polly says:

    15 Jan15 January 10:17

    Yes, we booked our last one through and agent, was 100 pp cheaper, and got,our TPS and avios.

    • John W says:

      15 Jan15 January 11:41

      Thanks for the reply both
      Prolly – what agent have you used for this ?

      • Polly says:

        16 Jan16 January 08:27

        It was actually budget air, never used them before, but worked out fine. Got 2 x qsuites sectors, but that could change.

  • Lady London says:

    15 Jan15 January 18:46

    Rob has said as a rule of thumb it does not matter where you booked your air ticket, generally you are eligible for frequent flyer miles / tier points. Always check the fare class carefully because some classes don’t credit anywhere much or at all. Such as P class on LX. A while back there was a problem when QR R class did not credit as many people found out too.

    Wheretocredit dot com is a good place for a first check but if there’s any doubt then you should check with the program if the airline you want to credit to. Flyertalk sometimes has good discussions on this type of query.

    Unlike hotels where Rob has previously said direct booking is needed – or booking via corporate-type non-OTA travel agents ,- to get most benefits and credits.

    2 known gotchas – Amex Travel – which operates and accepted as normal corporate type travel agent -seems to be booking some airfares into fare classes that don’t qualify for credit and may have extra restrictions on them. This is apparently not being mentioned to the client who finds out the hard way. It sounds similar to a travel agent I worked for long ago who were selling the much reduced price ” ITX” fares at less than full price, but not that much less price, to clients without the required hotel (for the ITX ticket) attached which was technically incorrect.

    2nd gotcha is that some posters are reporting their company has signed uo with a travel provider that uses someone like Egencia to book corporate hotels. Unfortunately it appears rates given to Egencia or similar don’t qualify for hotel benefits or credits. We can expect this trend in corporate procurement to expand (I work in procurement systems and seems to be a trend).

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