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| Pacific Island Travel
(Clients Area) |
| Special
Travel Dates / Fare Sales / Fare Wars |
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When one airline announces a sale or promotion,
many other airlines will match it. But they may not match it in all
markets. Some circumstances in which the other airlines might not match
the fare sale in a given market include: |
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- When the original airline's sale is for a
flight that involves a connection and the other airlines provide
non-stop service.
- When the market isn't a competitive market.
For example, when the airline holds a virtual monopoly on a particular
airport (e.g., USAir in Pittsburgh). They may match the fare for
flights through the hub, but not for flights originating at the
hub.
- When the airline's bookings are already strong
for the period covered by the sale, and they don't feel the need to
compete.
Not all the airlines that match a sale will
necessarily impose the same restrictions. So it may pay to shop
around.
Fare sales are most likely during the early fall
(mid-September through mid-November), when airlines begin to worry about
their fourth-quarter financial performance. Other good times are late
summer and early spring. There are currently about 8 major fare sales a
year, and you can expect that airlines will start acting like department
stores with sales every month or two. When an airline gets the jump on its
competitors with the announcement of a fare sale -- even if by just half a
day -- it gets a significant edge in terms of the number of
reservations.
The greatest discounts are usually on the most
expensive routes. Markets where prices are already low due to competition
tend to have lower discounts.
Fare Wars: |
| Except for the original
airfare war during the summer of 1993, media use of the term 'Fare War'
for fare sales is a misnomer. To some extent airlines try to stir up
consumer excitement by using the term.
The most common kind of fare sale has the
following characteristics:
- midweek flights (departure on a Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday) or other offpeak times (e.g., Thursday and
Friday of Thanksgiving)
- UP TO 50% off round-trip tickets (most
discounts substantially less, around 10% to 15%)
- Saturday night stay, 14-day advance
purchase
- limited purchasing window (1-2 weeks); travel
completed during a large travel window (2 months)
- restricted to competitive routes
- limited number of seats available
- nonrefundable
Some popular times for air fare sales:
- Just after Labor Day, for travel between late
September and mid December, with blackout dates around the
holidays.
- From mid-July to late July for early fall
travel. (e.g., Continental July 17, 1994)
- Early August for fall travel. (e.g., America
West on 3-AUG-94 and Continental on 19-AUG-94)
- Winter, from early December through
mid-February, with blackout days around Christmas and New Years.
(e.g., Continental on 25-NOV-94)
One-way Sales: |
| These sales offer one-way
fares for up to 50% off of the usual fare. Since round-trip fares are
already 50% off the price of the equivalent pair of one-way tickets, such
sales do not affect the consumer much (but do generate consumer sales
anyway due to the excitement of a "Fare War!!!").
Southwest routinely offers $25 fares (per
non-stop flight segment) on flights that leave after 7pm local time on
Monday nights, September 12 through December 26, 1994. The restrictions
eliminate many of the airline's flights, but it is still a good deal if
your schedule and destination happens to meet the restrictions. The
promotion is part of Southwest's sponsorship of ABC's Monday night
football.
Two-For-One Sales: |
| Two-for-one sales, also
known as companion fares ("Friend Flies Free" or "Add a Pal
for a Penny"), offer passengers traveling together two tickets for
the price of one. However, the seats are usually limited, and may not
apply to the cheapest coach class tickets. So for folks who were traveling
in pairs anyway, the discounts come closer to 25% off than the "up to
50% off" advertised by the airlines, when you take everything into
account. (Sure, you're saving 50% off the price of the ticket, but if you
were buying a single ticket, you'd get a cheaper ticket.) Both passengers
must travel together on all legs of the itinerary. There must also be two
passengers -- you can't claim a free ticket for a fictitious friend just
to have an empty seat next to you.
Nadir Days Fare Sales: |
| There are several days of
the year when air travel hits rock bottom, like December 25, January 1,
Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the 4th of July. Airlines can't simply reduce
their operations on these days, because of scheduling difficulties. A
flight from San Jose to Boston must still fly on schedule, even if there
are no passengers on board, because that plane must be in Boston the next
day when the normal load resumes. An empty seat doesn't earn the airline
any money. So several airlines have started special one-day fare sales on
peak-minimum days. For example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to
Boston on the Sunday before the 4th of July cost only $100. The catch was
that you had to fly out after noon on Saturday and return by midnight
Sunday.
Whiteout Fare Sales: |
| In an unusual twist,
Delta cut fares about 30-40% on some of the least popular travel days
around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Travel (both departure and
return flights) must occur on November 17, 21, 24, or 25; December 15, 19,
20, 28; or January 4, 5 or 6. The tickets are non-refundable and apply
only to the 48 contiguous states. Although Delta initially included the
usual 14-day advance purchase and a November 10, 1994 deadline to buy
tickets, USAir and Continental have waived those restrictions. (Note that
the more popular travel days, such as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,
have been excluded.) For example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to
Boston flying on 11/21 and 11/25 costs $137, compare to the usual
$200-$250. |
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