airfare...

[jorken]

Ever do a search for flights and get a list of about 10 different options ranging from your expected $250 roundtrip airfare to about $3500?

The 3500$ option isn't first class, has the same number of layovers... why is that even an option? Do people actually pass up the $250 option for the $3500 option?

I must be missing something here...

 

[ViviTheMage]

good question, I wonder if anyone does take those....

 

[Epic Fail]

That's the I am not paying and I want to screw my employer option.

 

[sygyzy]

This is a good question. If anyone knows, please tell.

 

[spidey07]

Supply and demand. Think about it, many times a business flight is booked the day before or with short notice - high demand, short supply = high price.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: Epic Fail
That's the I am not paying and I want to screw my employer option.

any decent company would wonder why its costing you 3500$ to fly to denver from minneapolis. and nip it in the bud...it wouldn't fly...haha get it....fly, its a thread about airplanes!

really though, thats NOT the reason.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: Epic Fail
That's the I am not paying and I want to screw my employer option.

any decent company would wonder why its costing you 3500$ to fly to denver from minneapolis. and nip it in the bud...it wouldn't fly...haha get it....fly, its a thread about airplanes!

really though, thats NOT the reason.

Does the plane take off?

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: Epic Fail
That's the I am not paying and I want to screw my employer option.

any decent company would wonder why its costing you 3500$ to fly to denver from minneapolis. and nip it in the bud...it wouldn't fly...haha get it....fly, its a thread about airplanes!

really though, thats NOT the reason.

Does the plane take off?

Not without a treadmill it doesn't.

 

[hanoverphist]

ive seen this before, and once when i was slacking and checking for better prices i saw the lower priced ones drop off the list as they filled up and the higher priced ones stay there. im assuming it is the cost for procrastination.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

It is basically a matter of a large amount of variables in the structuring of airline tickets.

The price depends on ability to change or refund the ticket (several levels of this), how soon the flight is, how long the ticket is valid for, etc. etc. etc.

The highest price tickets are likely the "full fare price" of those routes, which are rarely (if ever) purchased.

 

[akshatp]

the higher fare is usually a more "flexible" fare. meaning you can cancel, change, trasnfer etc without penalty.

the lower 250$ fare is usually non changeable and non refundable

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Supply and demand. Think about it, many times a business flight is booked the day before or with short notice - high demand, short supply = high price.

Well yes, that is one reason why some prices are driven up so high, but take this example. I was looking up airfare today from Chicago to Minneapolis for about a month from now, and there were a ton of results all around the same price, then some ridiculous in the thousands one, for a flight next month. This flight happened to be on Air Canada so that was the reason.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: Epic Fail
That's the I am not paying and I want to screw my employer option.

any decent company would wonder why its costing you 3500$ to fly to denver from minneapolis. and nip it in the bud...it wouldn't fly...haha get it....fly, its a thread about airplanes!

really though, thats NOT the reason.

Does the plane take off?

ask the windmill.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: akshatp
the higher fare is usually a more "flexible" fare. meaning you can cancel, change, trasnfer etc without penalty.

the lower 250$ fare is usually non changeable and non refundable

The higher fare will also be on a airline that does not have an efficient route structure for where you want to go.
You are getting routed way out of your way on an high priced base flight.

Exampe

San Francisco -> Denver via Atlanta.

You can get there but the airline has no routes intended for that run.
They have a SFO->ATL
and an ATL->DEN

Both are high priced routes and the system adds them together as two seperate routes.

 

[alkemyst]

Higher fares can also be assigned vs non-assigned seats. Many flights now are sold overbooked. If you have a 'general admittance' ticket you may not be getting on that plane. If you have a seat assigned you can usually know you will be flying that day.