Airline companies... wtf?

[AnthroAndStargate]

So I was trying to get a flight for me and my girlfriend to LAX and we found one for 311 a person - round trip.

Well I leave the Window open - go check the bank account site - come back - and it times out when i click purchase. Keep in mind this is 20 min. When I go back - the price has risen 100% - from 311 to 611 dollars. I'm like WTF so I call AA and ask if I can get the original fare since the window timed out - they said no - most likely the price went up that much because 'that many people bought tickets'.

I can understand the policy of not giving me the original price- but how the hell do prices fluctuate so much? I noticed that it did that for all the flights - the more I looked at one flight - the higher it rose. Some even rose to 1,100 dollars for a flight that was 300ish! WTF.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Sounds like you caught them right as they were adjusting prices for all their fares.

Oh well. I'm sure there are better prices you can find on other airlines.

 

[gsethi]

By guessing that you are on the east coast, the price difference could be because when you looked initially at the price, it was Thursday but when you came back to book it, it was Friday. I am guessing that you are trying to book for Thursday/Friday ? Most fares are discounted if you book atleast 14 days (in some rare cases 7) in advance. Since the day chanced, the flying date is less than 14 days from booking date and thats why you are seeing an increased fare.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Originally posted by: RaistlinZ
Sounds like you caught them right as they were adjusting prices for all their fares.

Oh well. I'm sure there are better prices you can find on other airlines.

Damn - already ordered them - oh well. I still think 340 is a lot from DFW to LAX

 

[aphex]

http://www.sidestep.com

 

[SagaLore]

Supply and Demand.

 

[grohl]

yeah if I plan ahead I have paid 150 -250 last few years.

tough lesson tho

 

[BCYL]

Always book your flights as early as possible... when you get within a few weeks of your departure date, prices tend to increase very quickly (prices can double if you are within the 2 weeks window)...

Were you booking at AA's site directly? May be able to find better deals on other airlines on expedia or something

 

[hjo3]

The whole industry is messed up. Things would be much better for the consumer if the government had just allowed existing market forces to shape prices and services. But with subsidization and over-regulation like we have today, air fare gets inconsistent.

 

[Mill]

Fare classes. Learn about them so you don't bitch so much. Perhaps you were buying a U fare, and now all they have is Y. Live and learn.

BTW, it would be great to find out where you are located and what dates you are wanting to travel. I'd be happy to find you a cheap ticket. I've already seen fares for around 300 from RDU-LAX in the next two weeks round trip on various airlines. Do you have a preferred airline?

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Originally posted by: Mill
Fare classes. Learn about them so you don't bitch so much. Perhaps you were buying a U fare, and now all they have is Y. Live and learn.

BTW, it would be great to find out where you are located and what dates you are wanting to travel. I'd be happy to find you a cheap ticket. I've already seen fares for around 300 from RDU-LAX in the next two weeks round trip on various airlines. Do you have a preferred airline?

I already bought the tickets cause I freaked thinking prices would go up - but I live in Dallas and got the tickets for departing on 3/10 and coming back 3/17 - from DFW to LAX - ended up being like 370 with tax per person (on American). I prolly shouldn't have freaked so fast - it was just ridiculous cause every 20 min the fares were going up.

One time someone on here I remember said that the more a flight/fare is viewed - the higher they raise the price thinking demand is higher. is that true?

Also I checked that site listed above - found A LOT cheaper fares. @#@#! Do you know if it is possible to cancel an AA.com fare without penalty? I can't seem to find info on it - just see a cancel button on my reservation tab.

 

[OutHouse]

i have often wondered what the turn over rate is for airline DBA's. i cant even imagine what the code looks like on the back end....

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate

Originally posted by: Mill
Fare classes. Learn about them so you don't bitch so much. Perhaps you were buying a U fare, and now all they have is Y. Live and learn.

BTW, it would be great to find out where you are located and what dates you are wanting to travel. I'd be happy to find you a cheap ticket. I've already seen fares for around 300 from RDU-LAX in the next two weeks round trip on various airlines. Do you have a preferred airline?

I already bought the tickets cause I freaked thinking prices would go up - but I live in Dallas and got the tickets for departing on 3/10 and coming back 3/17 - from DFW to LAX - ended up being like 370 with tax per person (on American). I prolly shouldn't have freaked so fast - it was just ridiculous cause every 20 min the fares were going up.

One time someone on here I remember said that the more a flight/fare is viewed - the higher they raise the price thinking demand is higher. is that true?

Also I checked that site listed above - found A LOT cheaper fares. @#@#! Do you know if it is possible to cancel an AA.com fare without penalty? I can't seem to find info on it - just see a cancel button on my reservation tab.

No, you are not right. They go by their fare buckets and not "demand" by people searching.

Whether or not you can cancel -- or convert to a lower fare class/ticket -- will depend on the type of ticket your purchased. I found a 225 dollar ticket from DFW to LAX on the dates you listed, and some others for 272.

What is the fare class of your ticket? Most likely you won't be able to change without a penalty. I don't fly AA much, so I'm not entirely familiar with their fare classes and rules.

Head to Flyertalk.com and talk to the people there in their American Airlines forum. They can help you out. You will need the details of your ticket, though.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Actually I checked again on the times we are flying- tickets (w/o tax I am assuming) are 321. I guess Airlines are just that GD expensive for the time I am flying. Man - supply and demand is 'teh suck' in the internet lingo.

[edit] Thanks for all the help mill - you seem to be very knowledgeable on all this!

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate
Actually I checked again on the times we are flying- tickets (w/o tax I am assuming) are 321. I guess Airlines are just that GD expensive for the time I am flying. Man - supply and demand is 'teh suck' in the internet lingo.

[edit] Thanks for all the help mill - you seem to be very knowledgeable on all this!

Do you have a specific time of day you have to leave and arrive? If not, I would check into booking the 225 dollar ticket, as that would save you 100 dollars per person. Again, depending on your ticket there MAY be a penalty. Not always true, though. You should be able to view your itinerary online at AA.com, and there should be an option to cancel or modify it. The problem you will have, however, is that if you decide to cancel or change it, you will have to re-book with AA.com unless you wait for the refund. You won't be able to ticket it through a airfare engine with the ticket you already booked.

 

[Mill]

I would call AA and ask them what their change fee is. It could be as low as 15 or 25 dollars per ticket. Even if it cost you 50 bucks, it would be worth it to save a total of 200 dollars (100 per ticket).

Do NOT book the ticket on the phone. There are higher fees associated with that, and sometimes they don't have access to the same fares you can get through their website. Login to your itinerary and find the way to change or cancel it there. Again, I only fly AA rarely (normally a Delta or Continental flyer), so I'm not 100% positive on what their change fees and rules are.

If I were you, the idea of saving 200 dollars would have me over at Flyertalk.com posting on their AA forum asking for advice.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Mill - thanks again for all the help! I think im kinda screwed on this one because those days and times are when I need to fly in - so I think that is the best price for the time. Thanks for the help though mate!

 

[DaWhim]

I can get ticket from ny to lax with the price you paid.