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What is the guide to airline ticket prices?
Posted on 7/16/26 at 1:09 pm
Posted on 7/16/26 at 1:09 pm
We are flying round trip to Portland in October-Main Cabin on delta. On Monday, tickets were $428, as they were all weekend. On Tuesday, they were $438. So I logged in on Wednesday and said I’d buy if it got to $450. Well it went to $579 instead. Today, the same itinerary is $660. Why does it jump up so much? My itinerary is MSY-ATL-PDX then PDX-LAX-MSY. Glad I jumped in when I did but it doesn’t make sense
4
Posted on 7/16/26 at 3:40 pm to Tiger328
At its core its about fare buckets with a billion different algorithmic factors
As the cheapest fares get sold, they move on to the next which is more expensive. So potentially within the last 24hrs someone scooped up that last ticket in that specific bucket
But as stated there are also some algorithmic stuff tied to it. Like where you start the ticket, how many connecting flights you are willing take, if you are flying on an airline into another airlines hub, etc
As the cheapest fares get sold, they move on to the next which is more expensive. So potentially within the last 24hrs someone scooped up that last ticket in that specific bucket
But as stated there are also some algorithmic stuff tied to it. Like where you start the ticket, how many connecting flights you are willing take, if you are flying on an airline into another airlines hub, etc
Posted on 7/16/26 at 4:12 pm to Tiger328
Didn't Trump just cause fuel prices to go up? That would explain the quick rise. Wait a week or so until he announces the end of the war again.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 8:07 pm to Tiger328
Best time to buy is the second you know for sure you are going.
Some airlines offer refunds or credits if the fare dips below what you booked. I know for sure Southwest does this.
Some airlines offer refunds or credits if the fare dips below what you booked. I know for sure Southwest does this.
Posted on 7/17/26 at 11:28 am to Tiger328
This explains fare codes/buckets: LINK
Long story short - there are X amount of available tickets in X amount of "fare buckets". Once they are sold, it goes to the next cheapest fare class and price.
There are multiple layers in each of those buckets.
For Example:
BA Long Haul Flight
J0 C0 D0 R0 I0 (business class)
W1 E1 T1 (premium economy / World Traveller Plus)
Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S0 N0 Q0 O2 G0 (economy)
So for this BA flight:
Economy
Flexible/Semi-Flexible: Y, B, H
Discounted/Low: K, L, M, N, S, V, Q, O, G
Award/Avios Redemptions: X
Premium Economy:
Flexible: W
Discounted: E, T
Award/Avios Redemptions: P
Business (Club Europe / Club World)
Flexible: J, C, D
Discounted: R, I
Award/Avios Redemptions: U
First
Flexible: F
Discounted: A
Award/Avios Redemptions: Z
The price varies based on:
Supply and Demand
Competition
Frequency
Operational Costs
etc...
They have a very fancy algorithm that uses historical data to determine what people will pay, how many people travel that route, the cost of the aircraft on that route, etc.
There used to be a floating myth that if you bought on a Wednesday 90 days before your trip it was magically cheaper. Simply not the case.
The ONLY recommendation I would give you is clear your browser history - the system knows if you searched for a flight multiple times and it will absolutely inflate the price.
Long story short - there are X amount of available tickets in X amount of "fare buckets". Once they are sold, it goes to the next cheapest fare class and price.
There are multiple layers in each of those buckets.
For Example:
BA Long Haul Flight
J0 C0 D0 R0 I0 (business class)
W1 E1 T1 (premium economy / World Traveller Plus)
Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S0 N0 Q0 O2 G0 (economy)
So for this BA flight:
Economy
Flexible/Semi-Flexible: Y, B, H
Discounted/Low: K, L, M, N, S, V, Q, O, G
Award/Avios Redemptions: X
Premium Economy:
Flexible: W
Discounted: E, T
Award/Avios Redemptions: P
Business (Club Europe / Club World)
Flexible: J, C, D
Discounted: R, I
Award/Avios Redemptions: U
First
Flexible: F
Discounted: A
Award/Avios Redemptions: Z
The price varies based on:
Supply and Demand
Competition
Frequency
Operational Costs
etc...
They have a very fancy algorithm that uses historical data to determine what people will pay, how many people travel that route, the cost of the aircraft on that route, etc.
There used to be a floating myth that if you bought on a Wednesday 90 days before your trip it was magically cheaper. Simply not the case.
The ONLY recommendation I would give you is clear your browser history - the system knows if you searched for a flight multiple times and it will absolutely inflate the price.
Posted on 7/17/26 at 11:37 am to TheDeathValley
Wendover Productions also made a video a few years ago
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