BajaNomad

Volaris - whata joke!

unbob - 3-15-2017 at 04:19 PM

Wanted to fly LP to TJ r/t to obtain a new FMM. But that's not gonna happen.:(

Tried to make a reservation (one week later) and purchase a ticket on their web site - but it was an abomination. Went in circles over and over but finally got to the payment page - $368.69 usd!!!

They have many "extras" to pay for and everything is priced separately - including a carry-on bag and the seat!!! Absolutely ridiculous!:mad:

I'd seen several mentions on BN stating Volaris fares are an incredible "bargain"! Say what???

gallesram - 3-15-2017 at 04:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by unbob  
Wanted to fly LP to TJ r/t to obtain a new FMM. But that's not gonna happen.:(

Tried to make a reservation (one week later) and purchase a ticket on their web site - but it was an abomination. Went in circles over and over but finally got to the payment page - $368.69 usd!!!

They have many "extras" to pay for and everything is priced separately - including a carry-on bag and the seat!!! Absolutely ridiculous!:mad:

I'd seen several mentions on BN stating Volaris fares are an incredible "bargain"! Say what???


They do have deals but you need to pick your way through the site since they will automatically add on a bunch of things that you probably don't want. You also need to activate promo codes or you won't get a sale fare. If you wait until you check in a few days before your flight you can select your seat for free (versus selecting it when you buy your ticket, which costs money). They do allow 1 free check-in and 1 free carry on; but the options at "baggage" won't default to that so you have to scroll through the options and pick the ones say that "no charge".

Personally, I prefer Interjet over Volaris and will pay a little more to fly them if I have the choice. I think there's a little more legroom, there is free booze and the flight attendants seem cheerier. But Volaris is generally cheaper and sometimes really cheap; way more so than Aeromexico or a US carrier!

unbob - 3-15-2017 at 04:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by gallesram  
Quote: Originally posted by unbob  
Wanted to fly LP to TJ r/t to obtain a new FMM. But that's not gonna happen.:(

Tried to make a reservation (one week later) and purchase a ticket on their web site - but it was an abomination. Went in circles over and over but finally got to the payment page - $368.69 usd!!!

They have many "extras" to pay for and everything is priced separately - including a carry-on bag and the seat!!! Absolutely ridiculous!:mad:

I'd seen several mentions on BN stating Volaris fares are an incredible "bargain"! Say what???


They do have deals but you need to pick your way through the site since they will automatically add on a bunch of things that you probably don't want. You also need to activate promo codes or you won't get a sale fare. If you wait until you check in a few days before your flight you can select your seat for free (versus selecting it when you buy your ticket, which costs money). They do allow 1 free check-in and 1 free carry on; but the options at "baggage" won't default to that so you have to scroll through the options and pick the ones say that "no charge".

Personally, I prefer Interjet over Volaris and will pay a little more to fly them if I have the choice. I think there's a little more legroom, there is free booze and the flight attendants seem cheerier. But Volaris is generally cheaper and sometimes really cheap; way more so than Aeromexico or a US carrier!
The $368.69 fare included the "up to 30% off" promo!!!

bajalinda - 3-15-2017 at 05:49 PM

Yep - the Volaris website can drive you bonkers!

A friend who was visiting us a few weeks ago got fed up with the website and ended up getting a TJ - LAP round-trip on Volaris but booked it through CheapoAir - cost was $154US. So, maybe try booking through CheapoAir.

mrfatboy - 3-15-2017 at 05:51 PM

I have always had a great experience with Volaris. I get RT from TIJ to PVR for $60-$80. Same for Cancun. Crazy pricing. 😀

The website seems very straight forward to me.

unbob - 3-15-2017 at 07:59 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajalinda  
Yep - the Volaris website can drive you bonkers!

A friend who was visiting us a few weeks ago got fed up with the website and ended up getting a TJ - LAP round-trip on Volaris but booked it through CheapoAir - cost was $154US. So, maybe try booking through CheapoAir.
Thanks for the info. Tried CheapoAir but they came up with nothing for r/t on the same day. Departing one day and returning the next is $248. But that would require staying overnight - hotel, taxi, meals, tips, etc etc. So the cost would still be at least $350. That may be a "bargain" for some people but not me!!!

No thanks - I'll stick with driving my truck/camper - way less stress and much more enjoyable than flying.

BajaBlanca - 3-15-2017 at 09:31 PM

husband Les has gotten us tickets VERY cheaply using Volaris and his tips are:

book way in advance and be flexible on the days.

We have done La Paz Mexico City and back for $200 each.

thebeckster - 3-16-2017 at 07:32 AM

Never have trouble with their website and in travel with the airline these days you should always plan several weeks out. Sometimes you have to be smarter than the website :tumble:

BajaBlanca - 3-16-2017 at 08:38 AM

unbob: I have a suggestion that works for me EVERY TIME.

Find a teenager, give them your travel parameters.

Take a break til they tell you they are done!

I'm telling you, it works every time!

:biggrin:

soylent_green - 3-16-2017 at 10:20 AM

they constantly have promotions, so you need to keep an eye and plan in advance.
On a recent trip I forked out like $10 for an emergency exit seat with more leg room. Money well spent.

$150RT TJ to Puerto Vallarta this year, usually the same for trip to DF and Guadalajara.




[Edited on 3-16-2017 by soylent_green]

Use Volaris frequently

capitolkat - 3-16-2017 at 03:30 PM

We fly from La Paz to GDL and on to Chicago on Volaris several times a year and also to GDL for shopping, meeting friends, etc. and it's usually very inexpensive- but, we book ahead, are members of the Volaris frequent flyer club. They do have great sales=up to 80% off but we get them through the emails - that we signed up for when we joined the frequent flyer club. We've gone to Mex City, the Yucatan etc. and always seem to get a good price.

yellowklr - 3-16-2017 at 07:11 PM

I love volaris!! Yeah site is screwy but i just booked Cabo 100PP RT from
TJ

unbob - 3-19-2017 at 07:58 AM

It occurred to me later that with spring break & Samana Santa coming up - now may not be a good time to shop for cheap airfares!

unbob - 3-19-2017 at 08:29 AM

Checked airfares again this am using kayak.com. Entered 04/04 as my depart/return date. Cheapest fare (Volaris) is $261 with one-stop in either GDL or MEX. So, no flights offered departing & returning same day LAP->TIJ. That doesn't work for me.

Again, my only goal is to obtain a new FMM so I can stay longer in BCS and this deal is prohibitively expensive and a huge hassle.

These "under $100" LAP->TIJ r/t fares (in a single day) I'm always hearing about are simply not available to me. Not a member of the "in-crowd" I guess. Or maybe it's just BS. Whatever, I won't be flying anywhere in Baja.

lizard lips - 3-19-2017 at 08:48 AM

I fly Volaris at least twice a month as well as Aeromexico to those locations Volaris doesn't fly. The Volaris website is a little different so you must check the boxes you need and delete those you don't. You could very easily make a mistake. If you're planning a trip a month or more out check the website every day to get the best rate. My son is coming home the end of May for a 12 day stay so I have been looking.

Yesterday Volaris offered about $50.00 round trip from Hermosillo so I booked it with no problem. $100.00 round trip? YES- I remember years ago when Aeromexico was the only carrier that flew to Hermosillo from TJ and the cost was close to $500.00 RT and had to pay.

I always sit in the very last row on the aisle only because no one likes to sit there so you have the entire row to yourself. Never had a problem with smells coming from the bathroom and by the time you get off the plane you still must wait for your bags anyway.

I recently spoke with a pilot from Aeromexico who said Volaris pilots don't need that many flight hours to become a pilot and Aeromexico requires twice as much. He said experience counts when you fly and there is a problem so paying a lesser amount may be great but experience is where it's at as far as your life is concerned.

Be careful in TJ when Volaris tells you your flight will leave from a certain gate. Keep checking prior to the boarding time because Volaris often changes gates and the gate is not mentioned on the TV or announced. I have only missed one flight in my life and it was Volaris fault by not mentioning the change at TJ.

JZ - 3-19-2017 at 11:11 AM

Love Volaris. You just need to know what you are doing when booking.

Bubba - 3-19-2017 at 12:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca  
unbob: I have a suggestion that works for me EVERY TIME.

Find a teenager, give them your travel parameters.

Take a break til they tell you they are done!

I'm telling you, it works every time!

:biggrin:


Wiser words were never spoken!

unbob - 3-20-2017 at 09:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca  
unbob: I have a suggestion that works for me EVERY TIME.

Find a teenager, give them your travel parameters.

Take a break til they tell you they are done!

I'm telling you, it works every time!

:biggrin:
Unfortunately I only hang-out with geezers - I don't know any teenagers! Besides, I have no weed to give them.

charliemanson - 3-22-2017 at 11:24 AM

We stopped using volaris a year ago after 2 significant issues. We fly to various locations about every 2 months and although their prices seem cheaper they in fact end up not being so.
Case one, wife was last person in line boarding and they pull her over and make her pay for her small back pack for 500 pesos after entire plane boarded with much larger carry on packs. We felt if they charged everybody the plane would have never left on time....quite odd.

Case 2, we fly with our small dog and by a ticket for her all the time...no problem. In Guad, coming back with ticketed dog they will not let us board with the dog we flew over with on VOLARIS!?? No reasons, nothing. Our luggage in plane and no car. Wow. Super bad day. Lost our plane fares, eventually our luggage and had to pay for more tickets on another airline. However Califia was super when we explained our situation and did give us 1/2 fare and free dog flight.

For obvious reasons we don't use them anymore and I have a good friend that is a pilot for them who hates them as well

MitchMan - 3-24-2017 at 10:57 AM

I fly volaris all the time. But, you have to keep your eye on their fares constantly and the pick the right time to buy and you will get good deals. It takes that kind of vigilance to get good deals.

However, their website and its administration has always really sucked. You have to be careful when you use their website...very careful or you could really get screwed. They do that on purpose because it is advantageous to them.

I never buy any extras because volaris disingenuously doesn't provide any follow thru. If you pay for ins that covers their being late on a take off or landing time, you will go thru hell to get your claim paid. They make it very difficult on purpose and they make sure that the people on the phone throw everything back to the check-in counter people and the check-in counter people throw it back to the people on the phone at volaris. That is all on purpose. It's a common form of business theft that provides them plausible deniability. That is business. Businesses will do anything that they can get away with so long as it doesn't hurt their overall reputation and so long as none of their management gets in trouble even if what they do is unfair, dangerous, illegal, inequitable, dishonest or immoral.

Kgryfon - 3-25-2017 at 12:18 AM

Try Southwest Airlines. I love them. Free baggage. Pick your own seat. No frills. Friendly staff. On time, every time (pretty much). Never lost my bags (yet). Flying in to Cabo now.