Why Isn't Airfare Going Down?

[lustergirl]

My problem is I am flying Wednesday, 2/11 and coming home Sunday 2/15. That is a few days before President's week. The week before is way cheaper with flights from Southwest but my schedule won't allow it. Oh well I bit the bullet and paid $399.90 for my roundtrip non stop flight.

 

[lustergirl]

A lot of it depends on when you book. If you know far enough out you can get a better deal. And using Southwest if you get a deal and it goes down more you can rebook without a penalty for the lower fare. So I never feel locked in with Southwest. I also notice their fares are lower than other carriers in general. It's crazy what some charge compared to Southwest. We do non-stops in December, January and February to Florida from Long Island and they are less than $110 one way.

I keep checking to see if my flights have lowered in price. You are right, they will give me a credit for the difference if it does lower in price. Jet Blue is the other carrier here in Buffalo who does non-stop but they are way higher priced than SW.

 

[NancyIL]

Airline credits for price drops are great, but they save you money only if you can use them for travel before they expire.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

OP here.....on NBC news last night they were talking about this...Why isn't airfare dropping? Gas prices AND jet fuel is dropping. Said that jet fuel has dropped $17. But airlines are not planning on dropping their prices and instead will invest in buying new planes. News anchor also said that some airlines are making $30 million profit a week. I know, I know....it's a business and they're in it to make a profit. It would just be nice for a change to give us a break once in a while.

 

[xiaojunjun]

They can mark their price whatever they want.

 

[DebbieB]

Airline credits for price drops are great, but they save you money only if you can use them for travel before they expire.

Except for SW, most airlines charge a change fee.

 

[NancyIL]

Except for SW, most airlines charge a change fee.

That's a great thing about Southwest, but their credits for price drops won't do you any good if you can't use the credit before it expires.

 

[MPB82]

OP here.....on NBC news last night they were talking about this...Why isn't airfare dropping? Gas prices AND jet fuel is dropping. Said that jet fuel has dropped $17. But airlines are not planning on dropping their prices and instead will invest in buying new planes. News anchor also said that some airlines are making $30 million profit a week. I know, I know....it's a business and they're in it to make a profit. It would just be nice for a change to give us a break once in a while.

What do you do for a living? If you work for any company that other people use ( for example verizon Sears Walmart ll bean ford kraft General Mills) would you and your coworkers please take a 2 dollar an hour pay cut so I can get a cheaper phone plan or Cheerios? Probably not. Drive or save more or start saving sooner. Nobody takes less money unless they are forced to.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Demand, demand, demand. I have been on 13 flight segments since February, only 1 hasn't been 90% full. That flight was a Sunday morning SW flight from Midway to Louisville that had a grand total of 12 people aboard, including the crew. Basically airline tickets aren't falling because there is no need to, the public continues to pay the price.

If you look at SW though, there are cheap fares to be found. I saw at least 2 dozen flights from Louisville to Newark for $71 each way, I paid nearly $200 in the spring. We flew each way to Orlando for $97 in July, and have $87 locked in for the return spring break trip($136 down).