Boy am I happy I got my airline tickets when I did....

[Mskanga]

I paid $757 for a non stop flight for four people and the same flights now cost $3600!! I'm glad I didn't wait.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Where are you travelling from and what are your travel dates?

 

[beattyfamily]

We're not going until December so I haven't purchased mine yet.

I know the exact flights I want through Delta out of Boston but I was hoping prices would come down at to near $200 which is what I paid last year.

They've gone from $230 to today's price of $245. which is the highest so far. They were at $240 for weeks and then went down to $235 for a few days and now up more today.

I don't know how long I should wait. Will they go up more because of gas prices or will they eventually come down as it gets close like maybe in August or September.

Anyone know?

 

[Riverview]

A travel agent told me he thinks prices will drop towards the end of June. I hope he is right about that.
Riverview

 

[Mskanga]

TS;
I'm travelling from Allentown in USairways, direct flight in August and when I put in all my info and dates for four people on their website yesterday , first I put it for only one person and the rate was $436.50 for one person alone, then for four people was $3026 .
I'm thinking that probably the cheaper seats are sold out and they are selling the most expensive ones, that's the only thing that makes sense to me.
I'm glad I bought them in December!!

 

[apagano]

Under normal circumstances, the best fares for a particular trip can be found 1-3 months prior to your travel date. Right now the airlines have their big "Summer Sale" going. Unless you get a deal too good to pass up, you're probably better off waiting until fall to book your December trip. Check sites like Expedia and Travelocity on a daily basis. Chances are if you got a flight for 200 bucks last December, it will be roughly the same this year. Remember that even though gas prices are sky high, the economy is slowing down so airfares should be fairly steady.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

actually the carriers only sell so many seats at a certain price then it goes up to the next class of svc.. etc. then once they detail a flight and see how many seats are still open its very possible that seats open up in the lower fares. happens all the time. inventory is the name of the game. and then during schedule changes if they switch aircraft around and its to a bigger aircraft then more seats open up. thats the supply and demand part of it.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Actually, airfares are not based on supply and demand economics. If they were, most flights to Orlando would be far more costly than they are (they are in high demand as most of them are full) and walkup fares for an empty flight would be the cheapest. There is no economic theory for airfares unless the route is served by a low fare carrier that sets the fares and then the majors match those fares to protect market share. Even those temporary very low "signaling" fares that we sometimes see do not meet conventional economic theories. The airfline industry is a breed of its own.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I booked our June 20-27 flights in late January for $200 each. When Delta cut fares a couple of weeks ago I checked and these fares were $387! For 5 people that would have been a major difference, and that's why I book early. Much more than that and we'd bite the bullet and drive down.
Robin M.

 

[Mskanga]

I have to disagreee on that one with you TS....it has happened to me too many times to think that's not the reason, otherwise why is the same flight different rates on coach?? There are only three categories in a flight , first class, business and coach/economy. Why are there different fares within the same class?? Plain interest, the service is the same.

 

[TravelSheryl]

There are different fare classes within the same service class because the airline projects a certain amount of revenue from that cabin. Say there are 100 seats in coach. If the airline wants to make $30,000 then they can either sell all seats at $300 each or they can split them into about 6 or 7 fare classes (as the major airlines typically do) and charge $100, $200, $300, $400, etc. You are not just buying a level of service. You could also be buying the right to a refund. The highest fare class is always fully refundable. Sometimes the next highest fare class is fully refundable as well.

Are you familiar with airfare prices on U.S. routes in general, or just those that you fly? I have extensively studied U.S. domestic fare pricing and my comments are based on the knowledge I have gleaned.

 

[gm]

i bought my tickets last august for my june trip for $128 round trip houston to orlando on AA. Last time i checked they were $398(about a week ago)and my return flight did not even come up it showed a different flight and time.I wonder if my return flight is full.

 

[TravelSheryl]

gm, you may want to call AA to reconfirm. It's very possible there has been a schedule change since last August. Airlines don't always call passengers to notify them. If there has been a schedule change, you have likely lost your seat assignments.

 

[chippmom]

TravelSheryl -
You are absolutely right about the airfares. You can pay over a $1,000 for a ticket in coach and the person next to you got it for $200.00. It all depends on if you bought the tickets while they still had cheaper seats available. An airline will hold some seats back for the last-minute folks who are willing to pay the higher rates (e.g., business travelers). I travel on business and it happens all the time.

 

[Mskanga]

TS;
I have flown quite a few times nationwide and overseas, all airlines do the same, it's called plain business, they try to make the most out of it, of course the higher the price, the least the restrictions otherwise how could they justify the price?? But one thing that got my attention in a previous post of yours on this thread is when Beverly Lynn said referring to the seats that it was the supply and demand for it and right after that you posted that it was not based on that. Now you say that you have extensively studied the US domestic pricing and that your comments are based on the knoledge you have gleaned.
As far as I know ( I have seen that posted quite a few times ) Beverly Lynn has been working for the airline industry at an airport for many years, and I suppose she would know the name of the game, why would she be wrong? I'm sorry no personal offense to you but I would tend to believe more someone who does that for a living as opposed to someone that just studied it.
As I said , no offense to you because that's not my intention but I think it's more reliable to me experience than studies.
Just my .02