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Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 13th, 2006, 11:56 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

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.


  #2  
Old June 14th, 2006, 12:35 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default 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.


I think you figure wrong. Revenue management strategy would rather they
go empty than everyone in the world waits until the last second to bid
then rushes to the airport.
--
mysteryflyer
http://www.mysteryflyer.com/
  #3  
Old June 14th, 2006, 12:51 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

"mysteryflyer" wrote:
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.


I think you figure wrong.


IMHO, airlines know that they can count on a certain volume of last-minute
or walk-up traffic, desperate enuff to pay retail. They only give price
breaks
earlier to get the plane full enuff that they won't lose their tails, and
the rest is
icing on the cake. =R=


  #4  
Old June 14th, 2006, 01:47 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"mysteryflyer" wrote in message
...
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.


I think you figure wrong. Revenue management strategy would rather they go
empty than everyone in the world waits until the last second to bid then
rushes to the airport.
--


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.


  #5  
Old June 14th, 2006, 04:25 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

"Alan" wrote:
... the intent of my query wasn't to challenge ticket pricing strategy. If
there aren't any such websites, then there aren't.


I 'member getting ****y once when I priced a flight within a
few days and the airline quoted a fare that was 3x the fare
that I could have gotten 3 weeks before... I was like, "If you
could get me there for 1/3 that fare two weeks ago, why not
now -- its the same plane." Reply: "Well, you might think so."

The air-folk seem to have figured that out those of us who
walk up to a counter or call a reservation center with only
hours to go are not likely to be discount shoppers, but to
have a last-minute travel impulse or an urgent need to get
someplace, and will pay the full-fare, regardless. =R=


  #6  
Old June 15th, 2006, 03:24 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default 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.

  #7  
Old June 16th, 2006, 02:05 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default 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

  #8  
Old June 16th, 2006, 08:03 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

"tim(not at home)" wrote:
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?


What's all this I hear about 7/11?
A lot of people shop at 7/11, but IMO, their prices tend to be
higher than you can get almost everywhere. They als seem to
be run by foreigners. What? Oh, that's different.. Nevermind.








































  #9  
Old June 16th, 2006, 04:32 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?

Caren schrieb:

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.


They do offer such fares on ltur.de as Super Last Minute in the eveing
(German local time).

Well, not to Baku or Port Harcourt because people don't go there on
holidays but on business.
But it happens that people have a few days up to two weeks, they might
stay at home or leave for
Tunisia/Turkey/Crimea/Bulgaria/Italy/Croatia/Egypt/DomRep, whatever is
cheaper.

Regards, ULF

  #10  
Old June 14th, 2006, 01:16 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default Cheap Seats Hours Before Takeoff?


"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.


It doesn't work that way. Airfares are not logical unless you understand
that a last minute ticket generally costs more, not less, than a ticket
bought earlier.



 




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