Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

PTravel wrote:
"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.

May load factors were a hair under 80% across the majors. The math
says 20% of seats go empty.

js

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

Alan wrote:


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.

This spring there was a run of last-minute discount fares to Tokyo. If
you were flexible and could leave with only one-to-three day's notice,
you could get there really cheap. It was a temporary thing, though, I
haven't seen those last-minute fares in weeks.

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

"js" wrote in message
ups.com...

PTravel wrote:
"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.

May load factors were a hair under 80% across the majors. The math
says 20% of seats go empty.

That's a little misleading, though, as the airlines will use those "empty"
seats for non-revs, over-solds, middle-seat-blocks for premium fliers, etc.
However, the point remains the same: airlines do not discount last-minute
seats. Quite the contrary, you will pay substantially more than the
discount rate for a last-minute purchase on most domestic airlines.



js

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

"js" wrote in message
ups.com...

PTravel wrote:
"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.

May load factors were a hair under 80% across the majors. The math
says 20% of seats go empty.

Maybe. But the math doesn't take into consideration flight times, etc.
Average in the flight from Des Moines to Kansas City and the flight from New
York to Los Angeles, and you may well find 100% full on the NY-LA flight and
60% on the Des Moines-Kansas City (or other route) - it averages 80% but, in
fact, an 80% load factor means many, if not most, flights are 100% full.

js

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

"PTravel" wrote

That's a little misleading, though, as the airlines will use those "empty"
seats for non-revs, over-solds, middle-seat-blocks for premium fliers,
etc.

That's right, and part of that 'etc' is that an empty seat means more cargo
can be loaded. That makes more money for the airline than a discount butt
in a seat.

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

PTravel wrote:

That's a little misleading, though, as the airlines will use those "empty"
seats for non-revs, over-solds, middle-seat-blocks for premium fliers, etc.
However, the point remains the same: airlines do not discount last-minute
seats. Quite the contrary, you will pay substantially more than the
discount rate for a last-minute purchase on most domestic airlines.

What airline blocks seats that would other be sold?
When AA used to block seats for FF elites, it was only until if they had
enough unsold seats on the flight. I have had seats come unblocked when
the flight filled.

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

"mrtravel" wrote in message
. com...
PTravel wrote:

That's a little misleading, though, as the airlines will use those
"empty" seats for non-revs, over-solds, middle-seat-blocks for premium
fliers, etc. However, the point remains the same: airlines do not
discount last-minute seats. Quite the contrary, you will pay
substantially more than the discount rate for a last-minute purchase on
most domestic airlines.

What airline blocks seats that would other be sold?

None of them. Who suggested that any did?

I was responding to the statistic that flights go out only 80% full, i.e.
it's misleading.

UA does block Economy Plus seats for elite status passengers, and will sell
them only if there are no other seats available. It does not make them
available at the last minute for discount fares, i.e. you can buy one for a
walk-up fare, but not for the cheap price that the original poster to this
thread was looking for.

When AA used to block seats for FF elites, it was only until if they had
enough unsold seats on the flight. I have had seats come unblocked when
the flight filled.

Right. See above.

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

PTravel wrote:

"mrtravel" wrote in message
. com...

PTravel wrote:


That's a little misleading, though, as the airlines will use those
"empty" seats for non-revs, over-solds, middle-seat-blocks for premium
fliers, etc. However, the point remains the same: airlines do not
discount last-minute seats. Quite the contrary, you will pay
substantially more than the discount rate for a last-minute purchase on
most domestic airlines.

What airline blocks seats that would other be sold?


None of them. Who suggested that any did?

I was responding to the statistic that flights go out only 80% full, i.e.
it's misleading.

I was confused by how blocking the seats made the number misleading.
Blocked or unblocked, the seats are still counted as empty.
If seats weren't blocked for elites it wouldn't change the percentage.

Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?
 

On 15 Jun 2006 07:24:08 -0700, "Caren" wrote:


Alan wrote:


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.

This spring there was a run of last-minute discount fares to Tokyo. If
you were flexible and could leave with only one-to-three day's notice,
you could get there really cheap. It was a temporary thing, though, I
haven't seen those last-minute fares in weeks.

LH used to do a "you choose the country (or larger region) we choose
the airport" last minute deal at stupid prices. They scrapped it
because of 7/11. It's not obvious why this deal should create a
security risk when normal late bookings don't?

tim

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.

Two weeks ago while waiting for our flight at Frankfurt airport I
noticed that there were a large number of businesses offering last
minute flights. A couple sitting next to us looked over brochures for
over an hour, than went to a counter to book a trip. It appeared that
there were a fair number of offerings.

This is through a travel agent not the airlines. Perhaps blocks of
seats have gone unsold, or there is room on a charter flight. Airlines
are willing to gouge you for last minute flights but you probably will
be guaranteed to get a seat because by overbooking you at a high price
they can usually offer someone much less not to take the flight, or
just bump them.

George