How to bag the best fare during an airline seat sale

What are the strategies for finding the best airline promo fares during a seat sale? Airlines have been holding promos to get people to fly again. However, how can we get the best deals? The best way for us to get the best deals is to first know how airline tickets are priced.

Did you know that the passenger seated right next to you most likely paid a different fare than you? While you do share the same seat class, it does not mean that you share the same ticket price. As a result, he may have paid higher or lower than what you paid for.

According to flightfox.com, an airline ticket fare consists of the following:

• Base fare
• Taxes and airport fees
• Fuel surcharge
• Service fee to issue
• Food
• Seat selection
• Baggage

The last four are sometimes optional (especially for low-cost airlines) where you pay for them on top of the ticket price if you want them included. With the older, more traditional airlines, and for long-haul flights, these things are usually included in the ticket price.

I now give you some tips on how you can make the most from an airline seat sale.

Two types of classes

There are two types of classes when you purchase your air ticket. First is the travel class. These are first class, business class, economy class, and whatever else “class” the airline may have. The other is what we call the booking class, and this is something we don’t see. This refers to the type of ticket or fare.

Each booking class has a different set of rules, regulations, and criteria, depending on the airline. First, airlines determine in advance the type of aircraft to be used for a certain route. From there, they determine how many seats will be allocated for each type of ticket fare. Usually, online booking companies and travel agencies get the lowest fares, however, only a certain number of seats are allocated for them. For example, an airline may allocate 10 seats for travel websites and agencies out of the 163 seats on an Airbus A320 which will be used for the route.

So for let’s say a “Piso fare deal”, airlines will allocate in advance how many seats will be allocated for “Piso Fares”. The same goes for those who book early and who book late. The closer you get to your departure date, the higher the fare is.

Two types of travelers

There are two main kinds of travelers. Business travelers and leisure travelers wherein both have different travel behaviors. The former have to fly on a particular date and time while the latter are more flexible when it comes to travel date and time.

Business travelers sometimes have to leave spontaneously hence, they are willing to pay any fare price. Most of the time too, it is their company that pays for the ticket. These travelers are willing to pay any price as long as they make it to their meeting on time. As we get closer to the departure date, the only seats left are those at the more expensive higher-end of the fare matrix.

Leisure travelers on the other hand plan their trips ahead of time. As a result, they usually book their air tickets at a much early date. This is why leisure travelers usually take up all the ‘promo fare’ seats.

Fares are more expensive when closer to the departure date

Contrary to popular belief, airfares are more expensive when you book closer to the departure date. Many believe that airlines sell seats at a lower price just so to fill the aircraft. The truth is, that airlines make more money selling these remaining seats at a higher price. The usual takers of these seats are business travelers.

So why are there instances that seat prices fall closer to the departure date? There are times when the number of promo seats has not sold out. As such, airlines open new booking classes to cover the costs of the flight.

Seat availability and demand affect airline promo fares during seat sale

Travel demand greatly affects changes in ticket prices. Peak seasons like Christmas, New Year, Holy Week, and long weekends usually have higher fares. These are the days when there are a lot of people traveling. They are usually considered “blackout days” as these are days when there is a huge demand for air travel.

Prices are also affected by seat availability. Usually, the cheaper booking classes sell out first.

With this pandemic raging, you will notice that there are a lot and will be a lot of seat sales. Airlines are hoping that demand for air travel would increase soon.

So how do we get the cheapest among the airline promo fares during seat sales?

The first is to book in advance. Usually, the travel period for airline promo fares is far from the booking days. For example, Cebu Pacific’s Piso Fare booking dates are March 2022 but the travel period is like from October 2022 to March 2023.

Second, choose the days of the week when you want to fly. Weekdays like Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday usually have lower demand than weekends, Monday, and Sunday. Again the higher the travel demand, the higher the price.

As for the time, the more ungodly hour, the lower the price.

Have you tried booking a “Piso Fare” where your all-in fare is the same as a regular ticket? Well, maybe you must have booked on a date and time when travel demand is high. So choose a day of the week when not much travels, and choose a time where there are fewer passengers. Again, these are the ungodly hours.

Third, avoid booking your flight close to a national holiday or a long weekend. Most likely, your ticket price will be higher. An exception is if airlines allocate a few seats on those days.

Airline competition affects ticket prices

Notice that Manila – Cebu fares are usually low wherein a lot of people fly there? This is due to airline competition. First of all, it is a hub of 3 major airlines in the Philippines namely PAL, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia. Secondly, there is stiff competition for this route. We even see PAL and Cebu Pacific send a lot of wide-body jets on this route.

Now that you know how to get promo tickets during an airline seat sale, I now advise you to always plan your trips ahead of time. This way, there is a huge chance that you would be able to land a cheap seat price.

Go book your flights!