So what's the quirk with Airlines?
 

Last month I booked online for some airline tickets and got a quote of $1300 round trip from NRT to SFO. Just this week I was quoted $947 O_x

What I'm curious towards is the perfect time cushion for ordering tickets. From what I can see, if you order 4 months prior to your departure they're quite more expensive, over 3 months prior. But what about booking the tickets closer to the departure? Is it booking the airline tickets within the same month as departure they raise the fees considerably or something?

I've been on atleast a dozen flights, but usually I book my seats 6 or so months in advance. This time I decided to wait a little while longer, and to my surprise I could have saved thousands if this is the case.

Seems like a money gamble and/or hoax to me http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/wacko1.gif

I guess they want a certain amount booking early so they can manage staff and aircraft. It costs alot of money to send an aircraft on a route (unlike a bus obviously) so they want to know if it's viable early on incase they need to make changes.

Once they have filled the allocated seats needed for the flight to be viable, if the rest of the seats fill quickly they will keep prices high. But if they are struggling to fill the seats they drop the prices.

That's my guess anyway, and explains why sometimes fares will be cheaper or more expensive closer to the departure date.

That would make sense. I do know that airlines will drop first class rates considerably within hours of the flights actual departure or offer them at a discount. I seriously contest the idea of raising the prices hundreds of dollars months in advance though. But then again, they've all started charging for what used to be a complimentary checked bag http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/blink1.gif

are you booking directly with the airline or some travel website thing?

Take a look at the airline industry, carriers are going bunkrupt left right and centre. They are struggling like any other industry from the economic crisis. The air travel industry is always the first to feel the effects of a downturn and the last to recover.

They actually use complex prediction models how fast the tickets should sell and if they are too far below the predicted sales they drop the price and increase it once they are back on the predicted level.

So there is no certain way to get the lowest price.

Directly with the carrier [thumbup]

Yeah I thought they would, given the money involved you would want to accurately predict demand.

I'm finding airlines are still keeping their prices pretty low. At least Australian airlines. Domestic is cheap and International fares have gone very cheap! $899 AUD ($724 USD) from Melbourne to Los Angeles Return! Not bad for what is a 14.5 hour flight each way.

Getting to Asia is cheap too. With Air Asia, Melbourne to Kuala Lumpar $99 AUD one way. Holly crap! I think there are a few extra fee's but not much. That's a little over 8 hours in the sky for say under $200 AUD.