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Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 13th, 2006, 11:56 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4 hours
of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes off
airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10 price
since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


  #2  
Old June 14th, 2006, 12:35 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

Alan wrote:
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4 hours
of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes off
airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10 price
since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


I think you figure wrong. Revenue management strategy would rather they
go empty than everyone in the world waits until the last second to bid
then rushes to the airport.
--
mysteryflyer
http://www.mysteryflyer.com/
  #3  
Old June 14th, 2006, 12:51 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

"mysteryflyer" wrote:
Alan wrote:
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4
hours of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes
off airlines
might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10 price since
they
get zero if the seat travels empty.


I think you figure wrong.


IMHO, airlines know that they can count on a certain volume of last-minute
or walk-up traffic, desperate enuff to pay retail. They only give price
breaks
earlier to get the plane full enuff that they won't lose their tails, and
the rest is
icing on the cake. =R=


  #4  
Old June 14th, 2006, 01:16 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"Alan" wrote in message
. ..
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4 hours
of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes off
airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10 price
since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


It doesn't work that way. Airfares are not logical unless you understand
that a last minute ticket generally costs more, not less, than a ticket
bought earlier.



  #5  
Old June 14th, 2006, 01:23 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"Jeff Hacker" wrote in message
.com...

"Alan" wrote in message
. ..
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4
hours of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes
off airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10
price since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


It doesn't work that way. Airfares are not logical unless you understand
that a last minute ticket generally costs more, not less, than a ticket
bought earlier.


Which is the opposite of, say, hotel rooms.


  #6  
Old June 14th, 2006, 01:47 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"mysteryflyer" wrote in message
...
Alan wrote:
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4
hours of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes
off airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10
price since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


I think you figure wrong. Revenue management strategy would rather they go
empty than everyone in the world waits until the last second to bid then
rushes to the airport.
--


Yes, but after selling seats for months, don't some airlines have web sales
a week or two before take off time related to how full the planes are? I was
wondering if this concept got extended from "a week before" to "hours
before." But the intent of my query wasn't to challenge ticket pricing
strategy. If there aren't any such websites, then there aren't. I was just
asking.


  #7  
Old June 14th, 2006, 03:17 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:23:05 -0700, "Alan"
wrote:


"Jeff Hacker" wrote in message
y.com...

"Alan" wrote in message
. ..
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4
hours of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes
off airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10
price since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


It doesn't work that way. Airfares are not logical unless you understand
that a last minute ticket generally costs more, not less, than a ticket
bought earlier.


Which is the opposite of, say, hotel rooms.

It used to be that way, standby tickets were really
cheap in the 1980s, but not in today's sophiscticated
computerised system.
  #8  
Old June 14th, 2006, 04:20 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"Alan" wrote in message
. ..
Is there a whole website, or a section of a website, devoted to selling
vacant airplane seats at the last minute, say within the last 3 or 4 hours
of takeoff time. I'm figuring that 4 hours before a flight takes off
airlines might be willing to sell vacant seats at 1/2 or even 1/10 price
since they get zero if the seat travels empty.


Maybe 20 years ago, but certainly not today. First of all, most flights go
out full these days. However, even if they're not, the airlines will sell
you a last-minute seat -- at the full "walk-up" fare, which can be up to 10
times the discount fare.






  #9  
Old June 14th, 2006, 04:25 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

"Alan" wrote:
... the intent of my query wasn't to challenge ticket pricing strategy. If
there aren't any such websites, then there aren't.


I 'member getting ****y once when I priced a flight within a
few days and the airline quoted a fare that was 3x the fare
that I could have gotten 3 weeks before... I was like, "If you
could get me there for 1/3 that fare two weeks ago, why not
now -- its the same plane." Reply: "Well, you might think so."

The air-folk seem to have figured that out those of us who
walk up to a counter or call a reservation center with only
hours to go are not likely to be discount shoppers, but to
have a last-minute travel impulse or an urgent need to get
someplace, and will pay the full-fare, regardless. =R=


  #10  
Old June 14th, 2006, 03:03 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

It doesn't work that way. Airfares are not logical unless you
understand that a last minute ticket generally costs more, not
less, than a ticket bought earlier.


Which is the opposite of, say, hotel rooms.


You cannot compare airfares with anything else, hotel rooms or
produce. With hotel rooms, the hotel knows that there are many
hotels in the area so you could go elsewhere and find a room. Even
then all hotels will not negotiate. With airfares there are probably
very few flights, maybe only one, going to your destination. And
airfares have the complication that airlines will award upgrades and
free flights to frequent fliers even at the last minute, not to mention
accommodating passengers from earlier cancelled flights. That said,
are you aware that all major American airlines have an email service
to notify customers of last minute lower fares for under-sold flights,
usually for the upcoming weekend?


Pete


 




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