Flights

Why is Finding Cheap Airfare so Important?

Getting a discount airline ticket has its obvious benefits, but is it worth waiting and rearranging your schedule just to save $20, $50, or even $100? I would argue that yes it is.

If you are anything like me, you cannot stand it when you find out that someone paid a much lower (discounted) fare than you did. When I find out that the passenger next to me got a cheap airfare, I think, "Why was that seat so much cheaper than mine?" It looks the same, feels the same, smells the same, but somehow it was worth much less then my cramped aisle seat. That makes me a very unhappy backpacker, especially when I am traveling on a budget.

When you board the airplane you will be sitting next to a variety of travelers, and the likelihood is that there are some who have paid full fare, while others got their tickets seriously discounted, why? Simple supply and demand. When there is high demand for a certain route, the airline wants you to pay full fare. When the demand is low, they are much more willing to offer discounted airfare.

You may think that if there is low demand then they will simply cancel the flight. Maybe. But not likely. When the flight goes on sale, people begin purchasing tickets almost immediately. Consumers depend on airlines to honor the ticket that they have been issued. For Business Travelers this is especially important. It would be detrimental if an airline got a reputation for unreliable and poorly scheduled flights. I admit, this does happen, but look at the reputation of the airline that does this - likely not very good!

So is this legal? Well technically it is. However, it is illegal to charge different consumers different prices. But airlines can get around this via the supply demand argument, and the fact that they offer fare prices prior to knowing who the purchasing consumer is. Therefore, they are not discriminating against any specific consumer. Morally, I would argue that this is not appropriate. Not everyone has the time or resources to wait on a pin stack for the discount price to momentarily flash on the screen. From a business standpoint, I guess it makes sense to ensure the seats are filled. You can decide which side of the fence you sit.

So if you want cheap airfare, you have to be willing to wait until the airline experiences lower demand. When does this happen? During low season, during the middle of the week, on a Saturday night, and on last-minute tickets. It makes the actual flight time and date a bit more inconvenient, but it will ensure that you receive the lowest fare possible.

To me this it is incredibly important to get a cheap flight. Actually, I want the whole package to be as discounted as possible. No matter if I am traveling in Canada, the US, Europe, South America, Africa, China, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand, I do not want to pay any more than my neighbor did. I would much rather save my money for the more important adventures that I hope to experiences when I arrive at my destination.

My advice: when you decide to travel overseas, take the time, be patient, and wait for the discounted flights, hotels, tours, and transport. The more you save on your car rental, hotel, hostel, motel, and flight, the more you have to spend in your final destination. To me, that is what is truly important.

Written by: Dean Horsfield

Posted: Oct 23, 2009