Do airlines reduce prices the closer to departure date ? trying to fly to bangkok in 4 weeks time?

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Sarah A

I'm a former travel agent who specialised in the Far East. It basically breaks down to whether you take a scheduled flight of you are booking a chartered holiday. For scheduled flights, they release set numbers of seats in various price ranges. The cheapest tickets always sell out first, so the closer you get to the date you want to travel, the more expensive your flight will be - especially to somewhere like Thailand, which is a popular destination.

With charter flights and holidays, the holiday company (Thompson etc) has already paid for all the seats on the flight and they are usually all sold at the same price. If they don't fill the flight, they make a loss so they may offered reduced prices on vacant seats to still make some money. With these trips, however, you generally have to take accommodation at one of their hotels you do not have the freedom of choosing exactly when you come or go.

In my experience, you're better to book on scheduled airlines (Thai, Malaysia etc) and the best time to book is 2 -3 months before you fly. Airlines generally will not release the cheap seats until about 3 months before you fly. Also, there are certain times of year when you get better deals; avoid school holidays for starters. Also, late September/ early October, early March and May / June tend to feature airline deals.

If the prices are too high, it's worth looking at a tailormade package. If you book 3 nights accommodation (different rules apply to each ticket and each airline) you can end up paying less for the package than you would for the flight.

Realistically, though, Â£470 is about right in this time frame, especially when you consider that probably over Â£100 of that is on airport taxes and other taxes. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you wait longer, you'll pay more.

Fuzzybutt

No

They will get more expensive the closer it gets.

Demand for less seats.

sanbox69

they usually go up as demand goes up and supply goes down

sandy_dfw

Normally the prices go up

goodtrack1980

No.
the closer to the date, the higher the fares!!!!

coffee

Sometimes you get a last minute deal but you also take the chance of not being able to get a seat.

=^..^= kittie_kaatâ˜º

usually prices go up the closer you get to the date.. Book early for low prices.

Alec A

No the closer you get to the departure the more expensive the the flight cost. So book as quickly as you can.

king_tots

they raise prices as they closer to departure. try talking to a travel agent. they buy seats in bulk, and may be able to get you a better rate.

Icarus

they normally start off cheap and increase as fewer seats are available.
If you wait until the very last minute you MIGHT get some cheap ones that they haven't been able to flog or have been cancelled.

Gernot

It used to be that airlines reduced seat prices at the last minute, now they do the reverse - the further in advance you book the better the price you will get. I have no idea whether the price you are paying is high or low as you don't say where you are flying from. A good travel agent should be able to advise you, and the internet is full of bargain tickets.

blue dolphin

Try these sites, my son goes regularly to Thailand and these are the sites he usually uses to get cheap flights. He always books last minute if possible.
http://www.airline-network.co.uk/specialoffersgatewayweb/gateway.aspx
http://www.opodo.co.uk/
http://uk.travelzoo.com/

You can always just turn up at the airport on the day and ask them to put you on the next available seat to Bankok, those can work out surprisingly cheap. But you can be waiting hours or even over night.

hitec

airline tickets are usually mo expensive when you buy it on the spot or the closer the departure date the more expensive the ticket. it is advisable to purchase your ticket months before your departure so that it would be cheaper. you can avail airline promo's month's before.

timcdfw

This can be a difficult postion to be in. Especially for an international flight.

In most cases, the actual fare will do nothing but increase closer in to travel date. So yes, your best bet may be to grab the seats now.

As you mentioned, this flight typically has empty seats. Often, an airline will "float out" it premium fare tickets in the hopes they will be grabbed up early.

Nowadays (at least on US domestic flights) its not unusual to see them dump some cheaper fares out at last minute to fill up the plane. But DONT COUNT on this as a strategy. You might miss the boat....er, plane.

My advice....buy early. But dont hesitate to press hard with the airline and ask the tough question...

"what is the exchange/downgrade policy should this fare do down prior to travel but after purchase"

Sometimes they may work with you.....

The best thing is just to ASK ASK ASK.

Good luck!

Alain

Nope.. it does not happen.
In very RARE occasions, they can do that, but.. we can say this never happens.. it cost quite a lot to "refile" fares and make it cheaper to fulfill the plane.. they try to complete with CARGO instead..
The criteria the seats are sold is from the "cheaper fare" to the "more expensive fares"... meaning, the longer you wait, least chances you will have to get the cheaper fares.

crispy

bangkok eh?

Wiz

Tend to be cheaper if in advance my son bought an open ticket london to Oz via singa 4 weeks after his mates and paid Â£200 more

denise_dee_dee

try booking day before

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