Airfare is predicted to drop....

[midwestchick]

I hope the article is correct. It would be nice to see fares drop to what they were 4 years ago.

 

http://fortune.com/2015/07/27/airfares-will-drop-to-record-lows-this-fall/

[CathyCruises]

Interesting, thanks for posting. The MOST interesting part is that they think an average round trip fare is $250!!!

[midwestchick]

Interesting, thanks for posting. The MOST interesting part is that they think an average round trip fare is $250!!!

 

I know, eh? Wonder from what point to what point. :confused:

[F4Bruins]

I've heard this for a couple months now, and hope it's true! We're booked on Reflection in mid-December, so I'm waiting until mid-October to book the airfare for exactly this reason! (That, and it's "only" an 11 hour drive if everything falls through).

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Interesting, thanks for posting. The MOST interesting part is that they think an average round trip fare is $250!!!

 

Yeah, I'd love to know where they're flying. I haven't seen RT airfares for $250 for a very, very long time. Just that point makes me question their logic. And oh, by the way, airfares usually drop in the fall. Reduced demand. Duh.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[Dick in Falls Church]

As long as the airlines are flying fewer planes and filling almost all seats, don't expect much in the way of price driops.

[81Zoomie]

From another point of view.... Many airlines are cutting capacity to limit availability and keep prices in line as demand softens. Loyalty programs are being amended and "luxuries" such as aisle and window seats now come with a fee. Aircrews are negotiating to win back some of the major concessions they made during the recession. The airlines struggled for many years with all but 1 or 2 declaring bankruptcy. I would be surprised to see any appreciable price cuts.

[Mr. Click]

Last week I priced a trip from Newark to London on United for June 2016, $1500 per person RT in coach, today the same trip is over $2600 per person. They have tons of empty seats on the flights and it is 11 months away but.....that is a huge jump in price. Oil keeps coming down, fees for bags etc keep going up, capacity keeps going down too so fares will stay up for now.

[Di Princess]

I know, eh? Wonder from what point to what point. :confused:

 

Burbank to LAX. :eek:

[diesel1973]

Sounds as good as the $2 a gallon gas predicted for this summer. Looks like the medicinal marijuana is starting to take affect!!!LOL:eek::eek::eek:

[teecee60]

Last week I priced a trip from Newark to London on United for June 2016, $1500 per person RT in coach, today the same trip is over $2600 per person. They have tons of empty seats on the flights and it is 11 months away but.....that is a huge jump in price. Oil keeps coming down, fees for bags etc keep going up, capacity keeps going down too so fares will stay up for now.

 

I just checked pricing with Choice Air, and a R/T Newark-Heathrow in June of 2016 is $1516.10pp on British Air. ;)

Edited July 28, 2015 by teecee60

[jody75]

Last week I priced a trip from Newark to London on United for June 2016, $1500 per person RT in coach, today the same trip is over $2600 per person. They have tons of empty seats on the flights and it is 11 months away but.....that is a huge jump in price. Oil keeps coming down, fees for bags etc keep going up, capacity keeps going down too so fares will stay up for now.

 

With most airlines the seat map, will tell you little on the state of bookings for that flight. With the introduction of charges for advance seat selection many/most wait until 24hrs before when seat selection is free.

[Zach1213]

With most airlines the seat map, will tell you little on the state of bookings for that flight. With the introduction of charges for advance seat selection many/most wait until 24hrs before when seat selection is free.

 

Indeed, and there are other reasons people don't have pre-assigned seats as well. For example, codeshares often don't come with assigned seats unless you contact the operating airline, which many people don't (for example, if I book a flight through AA that includes AA and Qantas segments, I would have to usually contact Qantas for a seat assignment...many people don't realize that, or won't bother).

[TruckerDave]

Last week I priced a trip from Newark to London on United for June 2016, $1500 per person RT in coach, today the same trip is over $2600 per person. They have tons of empty seats on the flights and it is 11 months away but.....that is a huge jump in price. Oil keeps coming down, fees for bags etc keep going up, capacity keeps going down too so fares will stay up for now.

 

 

I don't know where you are seeing the $2600 price at. (unless you are looking at first/biz or full fare prices). I just went to UA's site and between Jun 1 and Jun 22 (as far out as you can book right now) they prices are right around $1700. There are two days over $1800 but no $2600 is showing up in the low fare calendar. Premium Econ on BA isn't even that much. (running about $2200 from what I can see).

[TruckerDave]

Interesting, thanks for posting. The MOST interesting part is that they think an average round trip fare is $250!!!

 

Why does this surprise you? It's an AVERAGE fare all across the industry. Just because the price on a ticket to a cruise port (i.e. higher demand location) isn't that cheap doesn't mean a ticket from Houston to Amarillo (for example) wont be.

[TruckerDave]

I hope the article is correct. It would be nice to see fares drop to what they were 4 years ago.

 

http://fortune.com/2015/07/27/airfares-will-drop-to-record-lows-this-fall/

 

I'll believe it when I see it. Planes are full now with the current prices and airlines are making good money. Why would they drop prices much and cut into their bottom line. If demand starts to fall off then maybe, but with strong demand and full planes I see no reason for them to drop prices much.

[midwestchick]

I'll believe it when I see it. Planes are full now with the current prices and airlines are making good money. Why would they drop prices much and cut into their bottom line. If demand starts to fall off then maybe, but with strong demand and full planes I see no reason for them to drop prices much.

 

 

Hey, I didn't write the article. I just posted it for human interest.

Maybe it's a smoke screen because of the price gouging involving the train derailment.

I skimmed through some of the posts...I've always chosen my seats when I book...did I misread something?

[FlyerTalker]

Maybe it's a smoke screen because of the price gouging involving the train derailment.

Is it price gouging or merely the reaction to increased demand with relatively fixed supply??

 

When several thousand people who normally use the train now have no alternative but driving or the airlines, and when the airlines don't have dozen of aircraft just sitting around doing nothing, guess what you get.

 

Duh....let's see. Relatively fixed supply, significantly increased demand. No need to put inventory into low priced fare buckets to stimulate purchases. Why do I firmly believe that almost NO ONE who works for the federal government has ever gotten through Econ 101, let alone 201.

 

Off the soapbox.

[UKBayern]

This article seems a little cucoo to me. December is one of the busiest months in air travel. The rush starts mid-December, sometimes even earlier, because everybody wants to be home for the holidays. We are on a Transatlantic this year, and wanted to stay in Brazil a little longer after the cruise, but noticed that after the 10th of December, prices rise sharply. That is in line with my many years of airline experience. Even if 1-10 December is cheap, the rest of the month will be always rack rate, so on average, the average prices cannot be low.

Edited July 30, 2015 by UKBayern

[babysteps]

my favorite quote from the article:

"it's complicated"

 

We just booked a (non-cruise related) RT for Oct from NY to SAN and found the following:

-usually it's cheaper to drive to a major airport (EWR, JFK or even ROC), this time going local (ELM) was cheaper or in spitting distance

 

-AA's cheapest fare of the month for a 7 night stay was Sat-Sat. And AA was cheapest of any airline on Sat. But DL and UA were cheaper on Wed than AA was on Sat (I hope I've typed that so it is clear). DL had the most convenient schedule, so we went with them.

 

-conclusion, always check! (shocking news, right?) and, ITA's Matrix search website is definitely helpful!!

[4774Papa]

We have been traveling extensively since 2010 when I retired. Frankly, the fares we paid to fly to Europe in 2010 and 2011 were about what I just paid for our May 2016 flights.

 

I read another article that fuel costs for cruises may be going up even though the price of crude oil is way down. Reason is the EPA has some new rules reducing the sulphur in fuel.

[brazilgirl]

There were advertised fares from SFO to GRU last week for $550. One of the lowest prices I have ever seen .

 

 

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[UKBayern]

There were advertised fares from SFO to GRU last week for $550. One of the lowest prices I have ever seen

 

Yes, fares to Brazil are very cheap this year, but that has a different reason.

Flights were increased last year due to the football world cup, and airlines want to keep their slots and landing rights for next year because of the Olympics. This year, airlines have huge overcapacities on flights to Brazil. That is also one of the reasons we are going to Brazil this year, flying to/from there has never been so cheap.

Edited August 3, 2015 by UKBayern

[brazilgirl]

Yes, fares to Brazil are very cheap this year, but that has a different reason.

Flights were increased last year due to the football world cup, and airlines want to keep their slots and landing rights for next year because of the Olympics. This year, airlines have huge overcapacities on flights to Brazil. That is also one of the reasons we are going to Brazil this year, flying to/from there has never been so cheap.

 

 

UKBayern

 

I have lived here ( in Brazil) since 1989 and fly to the US at least once a year. My family also comes here ( leaving from SFO) frequently , so I have alerts on prices.

 

In this last month I have seen fares from GRU to MIA for $345 r/t. This is really unprecedented. I have been watching the fares for years and $1200 has really become the norm when flying to ORD or SFO and maybe , on a really good day , $900 to fly to Miami.

 

These prices have been going on for a lot longer that the World Cup [emoji33][emoji33].

Brazil is going through huge economic and political uncertainty. The currency here has been drastically devalued and after the droves of Brazilians traveling to the US because of cheap prices on clothes and electronics , there has been a shift and the airlines need to fill the planes . So lots of bargains!!!

 

 

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[iancal]

We booked air to Europe for Aug/Oct. We found that the prices were considerably less than last year. Flying to Athens and then home from Paris.