In article .net,
Hilary wrote:

Did you read my post? These fares are available to anyone with a
credit card. I typed in Glasgow to Orlando into a random UK travel site
(www.flights4less.co.uk), and the tickets for travel in August 2006
(August 1 through 14, presumably peak season for travel from Scotland
to Florida) are cheaper than the tickets for April 1-14.

It is classified as peak season, but not peak season for travel - most
families wanted to travel earlier to avoid higher costs everywhere.
Fewer people wanted GLA-MCO in August. They wanted to fly out end of
June. That's the peak *travel* period.

Look, dear, I can't look up fares for next June because they aren't
out yet. But I am positive that they will be lower in the fall and
winter than when they are first published next month.

Qantas has every date between Dec 20 and Dec 23 available for $1900
roundtrip or so. Pricey, of course, but it's the lowest published
fare for these dates.

Exactly. It's pricey *because* the cheaper consolidated fares have gone.

Nonsense. I simply posted the fares from qantas.com, which obviously
doesn't have consolidated fares. Consolidated fares are plentifully
available - I just did a quick search on airlineconsolidator.com
(they are far from the cheapest, but one of the few that have their
inventory online), and they are selling LAX-SYD tickets for these
dates hundreds of dollars under the lowest published fare.

If I really needed to fly from LAX to SYD, I'd get on the phone, call
up a dozen consolidators from the travel pages of LA Times, and would
have bought a much cheaper ticket than someone who is foolish enough
to book 12 months in advance.

Bottom line: some people are not very savvy. Airlines love them.
They buy their tickets 12 months in advance the same way they buy
extended warranties and paint protection for their cars, dotcom stocks
(``before they go up in price''), duty-free perfumes, etc. Their
agent told them it's a good deal, so it's got to be a good deal