cheaper fare for 1 pax v. 4 pax?

[MamaParrotHead]

can anyone explain that to me? we booked our airfare back in November (direct through the Delta website) for $309 pp roundtrip. but I check periodically for itinerary changes and just out of curiosity if the fares have dropped. This afternoon I mistakenly entered the same flight info (arrival and departure dates, times, etc.) but for 1 pax instead of 4 pax, and the rate was $268 for the same flights. When I entered the same info for the 4 pax, the rate was what we paid PLUS an additional $65. can anyone rationalize that one for me? I can't for the life of me figure how that's possible or makes any sense. :confused:

[Globaliser]

This afternoon I mistakenly entered the same flight info (arrival and departure dates, times, etc.) but for 1 pax instead of 4 pax, and the rate was $268 for the same flights. When I entered the same info for the 4 pax, the rate was what we paid PLUS an additional $65. can anyone rationalize that one for me?

Airlines manage their yields (revenues) by dividing up their inventory into booking classes (sometimes known as buckets). For example, an airline may sell economy class seats in booking classes Y, B, H, K, L, M, R, V and N.

 

Each different fare offered by the airline must be booked in its corresponding booking class. The cheapest fares may have to be booked in N class, the next most expensive fares in V, and the next most expensive in R.

 

The airlines manages yield by constantly allocating and re-allocating the number of seats which it is prepared to sell in each booking class at any particular time. Typically, you'll find that there is more availability in higher (generally also more expensive) booking classes than in the cheapest booking classes. That's why the cheaper fares sell out more quickly.

 

It's possible that at the time you booked, you were able to get four seats in (say) V class. However, when you looked again, the airline may have been prepared to sell 9 seats in R class, 2 seats in V and only 1 seat in N.

 

The way that airline reservations systems are set up, you can only book seats from one booking class on any one flight in a single reservation. So if you ask to price one seat on the flight, the airline will give you a price for the N class seat - cheap. If you were to ask for a price for two seats, N class couldn't satisfy that so the airline will price both tickets at the V class fare. If you ask for four, the airline will price all tickets at the R class fare - which may be higher than the V class fare that you've already bought.

 

If you come across this phenomenon when you're making the booking, one way around it is to book one seat at the N class fare, then make a totally separate booking for two seats at the V class fare, and then a third separate booking at the R class fare for the last seat. You won't have got the cheapest fare for all four seats, but you'll have got the cheapest seats that the airline was prepared to sell at that time.

 

It takes some research - and nerve - to find out what's happening and to book like that, though. I only normally do it if I'm travelling with my partner and there's only one seat in the cheapest available class which I pick up, then picking up one more seat in the next class. It then also involves a phone call to the airline to make sure that they have the bookings linked.

 

Of course, none of this guarantees what the availability will look like in an hour's time, or tomorrow. You might go through all that and find that tomorrow the airline has put 9 seats into N class so that you could have had all your tickets at the cheapest price after all. But that is the price that we pay for deregulated air fares.

[MamaParrotHead]

thanks for the explanation. that system really stinks for me as a consumer, but thanks for taking the time to explain. :)

[Classynfun1]

Trust me, we know what it feel like to have to pay much more. I feel your pain...:mad:

[Globaliser]

that system really stinks for me as a consumer

It's a commodity market now, and to get the most out of it you have to really understand how it works.

 

I know that's not good for most consumers, but there is a huge upside. 30 years ago, I started flying between London and Hong Kong regularly. I paid about £600 for each return ticket (in 1976 money). In 2005, I can still expect to pay only about £600 for a return ticket (in 2005 money). That's quite something.

[DanJ]

Or as explained to me by a Northwest ticket agent when I asked why it was cheaper to fly from Buffalo to Ft LAuderdale via Detroit than it was to get on the same flight in Detroit without starting in Buffalo, she said "Don't try to figure out how we price flights. I've worked here 20 years and still can't figure out why we do what we do." LOL

[ute_fan]

We had a similar thing happen last summer on a trip to Seattle to go on the NCL Sun to Alaska. We were able to get 3 tickets at the lower price, but the last one was a higher price. It's always worth checking to see if you can get any of the tickets at a lower cost.

[atlmagic]

I agree it's a crazy system but it was the subject of a mid term exam I had in High School. We learned about fare classes and hidden cities in an Economy class.

 

We were graded on the fair we could get for a family of 4.

 

There are a lot of tricks. like it's cheaper to fly from Atlanta to LA then it is to go from Atlanta to Pheonix. The trick: you buy a ticket to LA (with a stop over in Pheonix) and just get OFF when the plain lands in Pheonix. Make sure you have carry on only. Airlines hate it when you figure this kinda stuff out. Also check EVERYTHING you buy. The student that got the highest grade (not me...sniff) found a 50% off offer on the back of a can of deodorant.

 

Who knew????? LOL

 

It's all about the chase!

[Globaliser]

There are a lot of tricks. like it's cheaper to fly from Atlanta to LA then it is to go from Atlanta to Pheonix. The trick: you buy a ticket to LA (with a stop over in Pheonix) and just get OFF when the plain lands in Pheonix. Make sure you have carry on only. Airlines hate it when you figure this kinda stuff out.

But make sure you only have a one-way ticket - the rest of your reservation will be cancelled. And make sure that you don't put your frequent flyer number in the booking, or else the airline may come after you for the cost of the travel that you flew, or the cost of delaying the second aircraft.