Airtran 5 seats left at this price what does that mean ?

[maryj11]

I have been watching this flight for a month and yesterday it said 5 seats left at this price. Does that mean they are about to raise the fare or lower it?

 

[ancestry]

That means that once five more seats are sold at the currnet rate then the fare will go up to the next highest level.

Airlines allocate X number of seats at a certain price, Y number of seats at a different price, Z number of seats at yet a different price, etc. This is why sometimes if you search on the price for one person it may say $100 but if you search on the price for three travelers its says $150 per person. That is because there aren't 3 seats left at the $100 price.

 

[maryj11]

What if they dont sell 5 seats at that price will it go down ?

 

[ancestry]

Usually not, although they may run a sale at some point but one would need a crystal ball to know if or when that will happen.

Usually that statement of only 2 seats left or only 5 seats left means that seats are selling on that flight and you should buy because the price is going to go up after five more seats are sold.

I'm not sure which airline you are looking at. Jet Blue by any chance or something else?

 

[ccgirl]

As a PP posted; there are only 5 seats at that price level and they will go up. You can click on the seat picture and see how many seats are available. I know for one of my flights it said that and I bought 4 seats. The next day the price went up by $30. AirTran does not, generally, lower their prices. From what I have heard, they will switch to a smaller plane, if they can, or combine flights if they did not sell enough seats to justify the flight.

 

[maryj11]

I have checked the seats and there seem to be plenty left if that thing is right. The exact same flight except the day before is 100.00 cheaper (makes no sense). Except the one I want is on a Friday guess maybe thats why.

 

[vicki_c]

I have checked the seats and there seem to be plenty left if that thing is right. The exact same flight except the day before is 100.00 cheaper (makes no sense). Except the one I want is on a Friday guess maybe thats why.

Right - different days of the week are less expensive to fly.

 

[maryj11]

So sorry you dont have trip planned

 

[kaytieeldr]

What if they dont sell 5 seats at that price will it go down ?

No. Unless the flight is within the next couple of hours (okay, maybe days ), they WILL sell those five seats at that price. This is the LOWEST available price. After these five tickets are sold, the next group of tickets available will be at a HIGHER price.

 

[vicki_c]

So sorry you dont have trip planned

Aw, that's sweet. Thanks. As you can see by my signature - don't feel too bad for me - we've had plenty, including early this year. Just waiting til the budget recovers before committing to the next one - there will be more!

 

[Missytara]

As a PP posted; there are only 5 seats at that price level and they will go up. You can click on the seat picture and see how many seats are available. I know for one of my flights it said that and I bought 4 seats. The next day the price went up by $30. AirTran does not, generally, lower their prices. From what I have heard, they will switch to a smaller plane, if they can, or combine flights if they did not sell enough seats to justify the flight.

On my flight going down the Saturday after Thanksgiving, they blocked out all the "B" seats. I asked on the boards, and they said it was so they could switch to a smaller plane if needed.

That was four months ago; I noted that they have now opened up those seats because some are taken and some are empty.

 

[ccgirl]

On my flight going down the Saturday after Thanksgiving, they blocked out all the "B" seats. I asked on the boards, and they said it was so they could switch to a smaller plane if needed.

That was four months ago; I noted that they have now opened up those seats because some are taken and some are empty.

Exactly. That is what AirTran seems to do a lot in this market as well.

 

[maryj11]

Airtrans show seats available isnt even working for me today? The window opens and it shows no seats only the shape of a plane lol

 

[maryj11]

Yahooo guess what the flight I have been checking on for a month that said only 5 seats left at this price for 184.00 did not go up ! It dropped to 99.00 today and I grabbed it ! Waiting sure paid off

 

[n2mm]

That's great news! congratulations. When it comes to buying airfare, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. Glad you got lucky! It's always a gamble whether the price goes up or down.

 

[maryj11]

The weird thing about the drop to 99.00 is it was only there for about 2 hours and went back up to 184.00 ! Good thing I was checking it continuously every hour of the day LOL

 

[sam_gordon]

The weird thing about the drop to 99.00 is it was only there for about 2 hours and went back up to 184.00 ! Good thing I was checking it continuously every hour of the day LOL

There's no logic to the way airlines price seats.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The weird thing about the drop to 99.00 is it was only there for about 2 hours and went back up to 184.00 ! Good thing I was checking it continuously every hour of the day LOL

And this is exactly why my dh doesn't understand why I sometimes get so crazy/compulsive at checking and rechecking. Usually we are rewarded for it.

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

I have checked the seats and there seem to be plenty left if that thing is right.

Keep in mind that people may have purchased their tickets but may not be willing to purchase their seats. So even though it may show most of the seats available, it may have nothing to do with how many tickets were sold.