I’ve heard some wacky airfare ideas in my time. Algorithm this, incognito that.. I have one explanation for you: Airline cabins have a range of airfares. When the lowest priced airfare is sold out, the next airfare is your cheapest.
Oftentimes 7 or fewer seats are available per booking class. Each of those is priced differently. Factor in that you’re not the only person booking airfares, and voila – before you know it a family of 5 has snapped up 5 of the airfares you want, another 2 have snapped it up as a connection on their multi sector itinerary and all of a sudden you are faced with a higher priced airfare for the same cabin.
Let’s look at economy cabin for example. Economy has loads of different airfares available. They’re each identified by a letter. Lets say Economy Class X is the cheapest. When that’s sold out, (let’s say) Economy Class G becomes the lowest priced airfare available.
That’s often why the airfare you want rises quickly. Airlines need to make a profit. They set a certain number of each priced airfare. If you want the cheapest, you need to get in first.
HSO when you’re next faced with the internal conversation of “do I book today, or wait for a sale”. My biggest tip is that waiting for the sale is always risky. Plus sales always exclude blackout periods such as key holiday dates.
Yours in travel
Alex x