why do airlines charge an eye off your face for a last minute flight.....??? Rather than have an empty seat?

Answer 1

It is economics. Not so much supply and demand.
If they all dropped their prices the day or two before - then everyone would wait until then to purchase their tickets.
In the logistics of scheduling flights - the airlines have to encourage ticket purchases 7, 14, 21 days in advance.
Plus - they realize that most every flight will have people waiting on standby - due to missed or canceled flights.

And - as stated earlier - they realize that business people will pay whatever at the last minute. For myself - I may have a $500K deal in jeopardy - so I will pay whatever to get wherever.

Answer 2

That's not strictly true. There are "last minute" deals but usually through agents rather than through the airlines directly. Some companies specialize in this, especially here in Europe.

Don't forget that normal tickets are actually very expensive. Same goes for hotels where this is called the "rack rate". Most people especially those travelling for pleasure, shop around and get some sort of deal. Most of us buy tickets with certain rules and restrictions. So this is less the case that airlines are less charging last minute customers *more* but rather these people are buying tickets at the "normal" price, with no discounts.

In Flight Attendant training, they actually showed us how little of the airplane they had to fill to have the flight pay for itself and at what point they start to make a profit. It was amazing, like only half of Business, half of First and no Economy (but this might have changed in the years that we were shown these statistics). People automatically think that filling up a plane means that airline is making a profit. That's actually not strictly the case. "High revenue" tickets are key to an airline's profits.

They also usually know that last minute fliers are pressed to get to their destination. Simple marketing...

Often flights in and out of capital cities are half empty. Politicians are nortorious for running down to the airport last minute and the airlines purposely make sure there are seats on most flights to accomodate them. This was a real headache in the capital city where I now live. The national airline here has half-empty flights, and then loves to cancel ours' and stuff the passengers together... I've been stuck for 8 hours waiting to get home.

Not *that's* truely nasty marketing but don't let me go on about it!

Answer 3

Its how they make money. Its the final minute seat sales that subsidise the low-fee seats booked months in strengthen. yet its no longer purely airways that do this - long distance practice and bus tickets are comparable, or maybe vehicle apartment companies and hotels will do the same. purely pre-e book months in strengthen to get the proper fees everywhere. If each seat on a airplane grow to be a inexpensive seat, the airline might flow broke fairly at present.

Answer 4

You can go stand by very cheap on some flights.

Enquire about stand by fairs. It is very cheap and ideal way to travel if you are in good health and have lots of time on hand.

But it can in some case get expensive if the airport closes and you need to get out and get a hotel room in transit, near an airport in a strange town.

Answer 5

Money is everything 'n absolutely better than nothing ^o^

Answer 6

booking anything in advance will always save you money

Answer 7

because they know you are desperate

its not right but thats the reason

all the best
Ian

Answer 8

Because....they CAN!!!

Answer 9

they are greedy faceless corporations