Air France has an interesting feature: In some markets, you can reserve a low fare for up to two weeks, without buying the ticket, for €10. (Thanks to Raphaël Mazoyer via Twitter for pointing this out to me.)
Here’s the English text, copied from the Dutch site:
Need time to think
When reserving online, you can choose the Time to Think option*. Starting at €10 per passenger, this new option lets you hold your reservation and fare for up to 14 days**.
To purchase your ticket, simply visit the “Manage your reservations” section.
If you decide not to confirm the reservation, it will be cancelled automatically when your Time to Think period expires.* This option is offered on our flights within metropolitan France and from France to Europe and North Africa.
** The period allowed varies according to your reservation date, destination and travel fare conditions. Option non-refundable and in addition to your ticket price.
Hopelessly addicted to the romance of French? Authenticity fetishist? Well, here you go, in the original tongue:
Besoin de temps pour réfléchir ?
Lorsque vous faites votre réservation en ligne, vous pouvez opter pour un Délai de réflexion*. A partir de 10 € par passager, cette nouvelle option vous permet de garantir votre réservation et votre tarif jusqu’à 14 jours**. Pour payer votre billet, il vous suffit ensuite de vous rendre dans la rubrique “Gérer vos réservations”. Si vous ne souhaitez pas confirmer votre achat, votre réservation est automatiquement annulée à la fin du Délai de réflexion.* Cette option est proposée en cabine Voyageur sur nos vols en France métropolitaine, de/vers l´Europe, Israël et l´Afrique du Nord.
** La durée du Délai de réflexion varie selon la date de votre réservation, la destination et les conditions tarifaires. Option non remboursable et en sus du prix du billet.
Given the geographic restrictions in the fine print, the US site doesn’t include this text (in either language) on the booking page. But there remains a hold option:
When I do a test booking of an itinerary between Charlotte and Paris (via Detroit and/or Atlanta), I’m given an option of holding the itinerary for over 24 hours — until 10 pm the next night — at no cost. It’s not 14 days of hold time, but it’s not 10 euros, either.
The policy isn’t new. I missed the 14-day 10-euro hold fee when it was first announced in late November 2009. (Dan Webb caught it.) And while I recognize this is yet another fee, I don’t really mind this one.
Holding the seats — and the fare — for two weeks is worth 10 euros. If you find a great fare, you can book and hold a fare for minimal investment, while making your other plans. (The overnight hold, as available in the US, is a nice feature, too, but it wouldn’t be worth 10 euros to me.)
So, what would a 14-day hold be worth to you?
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April 30th, 2010 at 2:22 am
Agree, this fee is well worth it. In fact, 2 weeks is fantastic value for Euro 10.
This way, I could find a great fare, hold it, and go about really researching the rest of the trip. If it turns out that I won’t actually be able to afford the trip (say, I found a super fare to Moscow and didn’t realize it’s really expensive there), I’m only out 10 Euros.
And if I end up buying the fare at the end of it, another 10 Euros is less than I’ll likely spend on food at the airport anyway.
April 30th, 2010 at 4:35 am
Yeah I think it’s definitely worth it: I’m still reeling from a 850 euro AMS-NRT ticket on KLM this summer, that could have been 550 on Aeroflot (ok, via SVO, but still a 300 euro difference!) if I’d been quick enough.
But I’m a bit unsettled by the vagueness of the proposition: basically, it’s there if it’s there, for whatever price the system tells you…
April 30th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
In an age where airlines are overcharging for little or no services, it’s refreshing to see one actually providing a good service for the money. I would pay the euros for this, it’s a great idea.