why do flight prices vary

priyap · Apr 22nd, 2009, 03:41

recently i booked a ticket to an international destination and waited for months waiting for a good deal.one day the price would be something and the next day there would be a large increase/decrease.this happens every year to me i feel as if im dealing in the stock market.
now im booking a domestic indian flight and the rates are constantly changing.i was getting 1 side for 5,000 rs then it doubled within 2 days.this is really annoying

..does anyone know why and what i can do to stay on top..
many thanks in advance.
yes and alsso does anyone know any good sites other than yatra/zoomatra/cox'x/expedia to search for air fares.

Haylo · Apr 22nd, 2009, 03:51

Prices generally rise sharply as the seats fill up, but if a flight is still half empty towards the flight date, prices will fall to fill the flight.

All you can do is to keep a general eye on the prices so you recognise what is expensive and what is a good deal, then when you see a good deal, go for it straight away, without regrets if it then falls slightly afterwards; it's a gambol.

Kayak is a good site for searching international air fares, though they do not include all the budget airlines so may not be so good for domestic flights.

priyap · Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:13

well that seems quite simple i was hoping for a large explanation lol.but thanks indeed I shall bare that in mind.

anandkerala · Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:17

There are some other reasons for the price variations. The price of air-fuel fluctuates almost every week and the government tax on the fuel is increased or decreased regularly according to the needs of the day. This can affect the pricing instantly.

Haylo · Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:43

Airlines who can sell tickets in advance by making them a bit cheaper have the advantage of having your money for a long time before they incur any costs, all those fares add up and it is a huge business benefit for them.

Also, some airlines sell a certain number of seats on each flight at a much lower price, that means they can legally advertise very low fares, but when those cheap ones are gone, they are gone.

Ryanair and Easyjet regularly sell some of their seats on flights on less popular days in advance for Rs 185 (yes that is correct) which means they are paying your taxes! They make money by selling you food and duty free on the plane, and by charging you extra to board early and check baggage in and so on, but you don't HAVE to do those things.

If you don't book very early though, you'll miss out on those seats and you can pay up to Rs 12,000 for the same flight.

priyap · Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:40

thankss this is intresting stuff actually...hey has ryanair and easy jet come to india..eek watch out domestic carriers!

priyap · Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:43

just came across this article

http://www.slate.com/id/2154261/

intresting indeed!

Haylo · Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by priyap

hey has ryanair and easy jet come to india..!

No, so far they are only operating in Europe, but I'm sure the Indian no frills airlines are watching their example with interest. I've just looked at the Ryanair site and they are currently selling one way flights for Rs 73 inclusive of taxes!

camelgirl · Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:49

I wish I knew why they fluctuate so much. I think there are some good reasons given. My husband thinks it's all computerized & uses some kind of algorythm

to determine the constant changes.

I know I recently bought 2 tickets from US to Amsterdam in September. I checked the prices everyday and sometimes twice a day for a month. They were very high when I started, then they slowly dropped a bit. Suddenly, one day there was an enormous drop to a really bargain price and I bought the tickets immediately. Next day they were up again!

I also use Kayak as my general search, then I go the the airline website when Kayak has a good price.

Honestly, it took alot of time & effort but I did get a really good deal!

karuna · Apr 22nd, 2009, 06:13

It gets worse. A colleague was attempting to book an indirect flight. The airline's online booking system was failing, so he called them. Over the phone, at 1pm, the flight was £50 more expensive than the price given online minutes beforehand.

At 4pm, it had risen (on the phone) by a further £40, but he was told the first leg of the flight was full so he couldn't book it anyway.

The next morning the online booking system was working and he was able to book the previously sold out flight for the price he had originally wanted.

Makes no sense whatsoever to me.

Haylo · Apr 22nd, 2009, 06:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by karuna

Makes no sense whatsoever to me.

This is a possible explanation: As more seats get sold, the price goes up. When someone does a search on the website and initiates the first steps of the booking process, which is often the only way people can find out any hidden charges (

) the site reserves that booking for fifteen minutes or so, which is long enough for someone to complete the web transaction.

If the online booking system was in trouble, people may have repeatedly started and failed to book seats, which were still reserved as transactions in progress, which would have logged as a sudden increase in sales, which would have temporarily put the prices up.

karuna · Apr 22nd, 2009, 06:47

It's possible, except what they told him (on the phone) was that the website price was a mistake and it had never been available at that price (a rather dodgy thing to say, consumer-rights-wise, don't you think?).

I suspect the answer is something like you say, they just didn't know it.

nycank · Apr 22nd, 2009, 14:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by karuna

It's possible, except what they told him (on the phone) was that the website price was a mistake and it had never been available at that price (a rather dodgy thing to say, consumer-rights-wise, don't you think?).

I suspect the answer is something like you say, they just didn't know it.

Many, if not all, US carriers discourage potential pax from calling via phone or go through ticketing office; and do tag about 10-25USD per itn.
Online booking through the airline's is the cheapest for published fares. Unpublished fares are a different ballgame altogether.

As per T&Cs, if you get an unreal price on the website of the airline i.e 38USD LAX-CDG in business; take it. because airline is obligated to honor it till they pick their error and fix it.

nycank · Apr 22nd, 2009, 14:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by camelgirl

I wish I knew why they fluctuate so much. I think there are some good reasons given. My husband thinks it's all computerized & uses some kind of algorythm

to determine the constant changes.

True, Its called yield management heuristics

the people behind it are Darth vadars called RPU a.k.a Revenue Protection Unit

Quote:

Originally Posted by camelgirl

I also use Kayak as my general search, then I go the the airline website when Kayak has a good price.

Honestly, it took alot of time & effort but I did get a really good deal!

For US routes farecast or farecompare are better options. So is Vayama. All are free

BestYears · Apr 22nd, 2009, 14:57

lol i had the worst luck recently.. the price of teh airline almost doubled while my transaction was taking place on cleartrip and my money got stuck! was refunded a week later though

Apr 22nd, 2009, 03:41	#1
priyap Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: dehli Posts: 51	why do flight prices vary recently i booked a ticket to an international destination and waited for months waiting for a good deal.one day the price would be something and the next day there would be a large increase/decrease.this happens every year to me i feel as if im dealing in the stock market. now im booking a domestic indian flight and the rates are constantly changing.i was getting 1 side for 5,000 rs then it doubled within 2 days.this is really annoying ..does anyone know why and what i can do to stay on top.. many thanks in advance. yes and alsso does anyone know any good sites other than yatra/zoomatra/cox'x/expedia to search for air fares.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 03:51	#2
Haylo Structural Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Middle East and heading Easter Posts: 5,804	Prices generally rise sharply as the seats fill up, but if a flight is still half empty towards the flight date, prices will fall to fill the flight. All you can do is to keep a general eye on the prices so you recognise what is expensive and what is a good deal, then when you see a good deal, go for it straight away, without regrets if it then falls slightly afterwards; it's a gambol. Kayak is a good site for searching international air fares, though they do not include all the budget airlines so may not be so good for domestic flights. __________________ The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:17	#4
anandkerala Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Trivandrum, Kerala Posts: 26	There are some other reasons for the price variations. The price of air-fuel fluctuates almost every week and the government tax on the fuel is increased or decreased regularly according to the needs of the day. This can affect the pricing instantly. __________________ ANAND anandkerala@yahoo.com

Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:49	#9
camelgirl 10 year Visa okee dokee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Swannanoa NC usa Posts: 2,037	I wish I knew why they fluctuate so much. I think there are some good reasons given. My husband thinks it's all computerized & uses some kind of algorythm to determine the constant changes. I know I recently bought 2 tickets from US to Amsterdam in September. I checked the prices everyday and sometimes twice a day for a month. They were very high when I started, then they slowly dropped a bit. Suddenly, one day there was an enormous drop to a really bargain price and I bought the tickets immediately. Next day they were up again! I also use Kayak as my general search, then I go the the airline website when Kayak has a good price. Honestly, it took alot of time & effort but I did get a really good deal! __________________ My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

Apr 22nd, 2009, 06:13	#10
karuna Just a big girl with a small dream Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A little town you've probably never heard of Posts: 2,976	It gets worse. A colleague was attempting to book an indirect flight. The airline's online booking system was failing, so he called them. Over the phone, at 1pm, the flight was £50 more expensive than the price given online minutes beforehand. At 4pm, it had risen (on the phone) by a further £40, but he was told the first leg of the flight was full so he couldn't book it anyway. The next morning the online booking system was working and he was able to book the previously sold out flight for the price he had originally wanted. Makes no sense whatsoever to me. __________________ Mosquitos suck.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:13	#3
priyap Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: dehli Posts: 51	well that seems quite simple i was hoping for a large explanation lol.but thanks indeed I shall bare that in mind.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 04:43	#5
Haylo Structural Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Middle East and heading Easter Posts: 5,804	Airlines who can sell tickets in advance by making them a bit cheaper have the advantage of having your money for a long time before they incur any costs, all those fares add up and it is a huge business benefit for them. Also, some airlines sell a certain number of seats on each flight at a much lower price, that means they can legally advertise very low fares, but when those cheap ones are gone, they are gone. Ryanair and Easyjet regularly sell some of their seats on flights on less popular days in advance for Rs 185 (yes that is correct) which means they are paying your taxes! They make money by selling you food and duty free on the plane, and by charging you extra to board early and check baggage in and so on, but you don't HAVE to do those things. If you don't book very early though, you'll miss out on those seats and you can pay up to Rs 12,000 for the same flight.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:40	#6
priyap Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: dehli Posts: 51	thankss this is intresting stuff actually...hey has ryanair and easy jet come to india..eek watch out domestic carriers!

Apr 22nd, 2009, 05:43	#7
priyap Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: dehli Posts: 51	just came across this article http://www.slate.com/id/2154261/ intresting indeed!

Apr 22nd, 2009, 06:47	#12
karuna Just a big girl with a small dream Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A little town you've probably never heard of Posts: 2,976	It's possible, except what they told him (on the phone) was that the website price was a mistake and it had never been available at that price (a rather dodgy thing to say, consumer-rights-wise, don't you think?). I suspect the answer is something like you say, they just didn't know it.

Apr 22nd, 2009, 14:57	#15
BestYears Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 33	lol i had the worst luck recently.. the price of teh airline almost doubled while my transaction was taking place on cleartrip and my money got stuck! was refunded a week later though

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