Delta Seats Disappearing

[IhrkeFamily]

For the first time we are planning to fly Delta due to being able to get two free tickets. Woo hoo! I so want to get our tickets booked, but the hubby wants to wait for the price to drop. The flights we were looking at had plenty of seats a month ago, but now most of the plane is filled. Does anyone know if the airline fudges this to make people think the flight is filling up? I'm a little panicky that we'll end up with crappy times. Thanks for any insight!

 

[goofy4tink]

I can only assume that some of those seats were actually bought by others. Delta may hold some seats and they might show as 'unavailable' but not that many!!!
I would book sooner rather than later. I have seldom seen Delta lower their fares.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you have two free tickets, why are you waiting for a price drop?

Airlines don't block out seats on the seat maps to fool customers! They do hold back seats for elite frequent flyers and assignment the day of the flight.

 

[tinka-belle]

Delta holds back a couple of rows in the front of the coach section for airport assignment that won't show as available. They have "preferred" seating held for Skymiles members of higher status, mostly aisle and window from the exit row forward that might not show or might be filled as those members book, as well as some "premium" seats for an upcharge also toward the front.

That said, now and then I do see Delta put more seats into the lower fare buckets IF there is a lot of space to be sold rather than lowering the fares overall. Not often though. So if it looks like the seating map is filling up for normal coach seats I'd buy the tickets. If the normal seats show mostly wide open then you can play fare roulette, but when you do see a fare you can live with you've got to book those fast.

 

[taitai]

Are you using miles? There are a finite number of miles seats available at each level (25k, 40K, 62K, etc.). If the flight is filling all the lower priced miles seats will be gone and you will be forced to use many more miles. Don't wait.

 

[ParrotBill]

Flight prices don't drop over time as often as they used to. Flights are fewer and more full and so prices can actually hold or rise.

Consider Southwest... they price low for advance purchase and those fares disappear as it gets closer. Only rarely do they have to put something back on sale for lack of booking.

 

[DebbieB]

Are you using miles? There are a finite number of miles seats available at each level (25k, 40K, 62K, etc.). If the flight is filling all the lower priced miles seats will be gone and you will be forced to use many more miles. Don't wait.

I have used FF tickets on Delta a few times and I have seen the miles required drop. I booked tickets to DL for August a couple of months ago, I kept watching and when the flights I wanted dropped from 50,000 RT to 40,000, I booked them. I've also seen them add more flights at a lower level. The last time I booked tickets to WDW, the latest flight for lower miles coming home was 12:30pm. Really didn't want to leave that early but I booked it. When there was a schedule change from 12:30 to 11:30, I looked what was available and saw they now had a 6:00pm for the same miles. I called and said the flight time change was not acceptable and asked to switch to the 6:00pm, which they did.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Delta makes it very difficult to find saver award seats (or whatever they call their lowest mile awards). OP, if by price drop you meant miles required for a ticket dropping, you will be very lucky if this happens. If you have a firm travel date and by free ticket you mean a ticket purchased using frequent flyer miles, you really shouldn't wait on the unlikely chance saver seats open. You may wait too long and not get seats at all.

 

[gilesmt]

I usually wait until 4 to 6 weeks to buy my tickets. Everyone on this board was saying they don't drop prices like they use to. I checked for over two months and the fare was high, I had a price in my head $300, so I checked every day, about 8 weeks out it dropped drastically down to $313, so I bought, two weeks later it dropped again down to $256. That would have been 6 weeks out. Well I got close to my fare but could have saved a lot since there is a lot of us. So don't let others tell you it does not drop, but you do have to be flexible with your dates, we can go mid week to mid week and such.

 

[goofy4tink]

I usually wait until 4 to 6 weeks to buy my tickets. Everyone on this board was saying they don't drop prices like they use to. I checked for over two months and the fare was high, I had a price in my head $300, so I checked every day, about 8 weeks out it dropped drastically down to $313, so I bought, two weeks later it dropped again down to $256. That would have been 6 weeks out. Well I got close to my fare but could have saved a lot since there is a lot of us. So don't let others tell you it does not drop, but you do have to be flexible with your dates, we can go mid week to mid week and such.

I always watch my flights. I'm always curious to see what the fares are going to do...even after I purchase. I usually fly JB so I can get a credit if the fare does go down. And I have to say....fares just don't go down all that often. Do they ever go down? Sure they do. But not enough for me to be comfortable telling someone to wait until 4-6 weeks before travel to book!!! I have never, ever found a cheaper flight at that point. I usually book as soon as the window opens.
I just want to be fair and give all around good info. So, yes, sometimes a flight will go down, but it is not the norm.

 

[robinb]

I assume the OP has some "bump" money that she wants to use and doesn't want to pay too much extra over the vouchers she has.

OP, make sure to look again on Tuesday or Wednesday when prices are usually the lowest. They will go up again on Thursday or Friday when most people like to book.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I assume the OP has some "bump" money that she wants to use and doesn't want to pay too much extra over the vouchers she has.

OP, make sure to look again on Tuesday or Wednesday when prices are usually the lowest. They will go up again on Thursday or Friday when most people like to book.

Hard to say what the OP meant, as she has not explained.

It is supposed to be cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, not pay for a ticket on those days. This is not always true.

 

[robinb]

Hard to say what the OP meant, as she has not explained.

It is supposed to be cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, not pay for a ticket on those days. This is not always true.

Did I say I knew exactly what the OP meant or that fares are always lower when purchased on a Tuesday? No, I don't think I did. I try not to talk in absolutes when it comes to travel.

You assumed that the OP was booking on miles and I assumed something else. Big whoop . And I do stand by my statement that fares are usually go down on Tuesdays, especially on Delta. Heck, I think that even award travel fluctuates. I've looked at an itinerary over the weekend and the dates are medium to high points usage and then the same itinerary the next midweek changes to low to medium points usage. My DH is Skymiles Platinum Medallion ... he flys a LOT on Delta and we use his miles all the time.

 

[bleubell]

I followed the online advice to check rates Tuesday evenings and sure enough the tickets that had been $287rt all week dropped to $220rt on Tuesday evening.