Anyone who has ever shopped for cheap airline tickets is acutely aware that when you buy an airline

Anyone who has ever shopped for cheap airline tickets is acutely aware that when you buy an airline ticket, you may pay hundreds of dollars more or less than someone purchasing an airline ticket for the very same flight.
Does this make sense? Well, think of it this way: you re shopping for a sweater, and you happen to make your purchase at Macy s during a big sale. You choose the same sweater your Uncle Mike bought the week before, only he paid twice the price you did. Same with airfare, right?
We shouldn t begrudge airlines for this behavior; cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom I mean, it just makes sense from a business perspective cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom prices soar for airline tickets during peak air travel periods based on the fundamental supply-and-demand principle. Even the kids in my neighborhood know this: during those scorchers in August, they charge twice the price for lemonade on our cul-de-sac in Dallas as they charge in March.
My theory is, the more you know about how the airline ticket system works, the more you can make that system work for you . Call it gaming the system if you will, but to me it s a matter of good quality research cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom plus using simple tools that leads to great airline ticket buying decisions .
A typical domestic flight has about 10 airline price points (or ticket prices) for its economy class. The top end of this airline price point ladder is relatively cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom uniform across domestic routes (international flights are completely different), and the top airline price point is typically between $500 and $800 one-way for legacy airlines, and between $400 and $500 for low cost carriers.
The thinking is pretty simple here: business travelers typically are far less price conscious and more prone to buy expensive, cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom last- minute tickets than leisure travelers. Leisure travelers are the ones who are ultra-price conscious cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom and more flexible on travel dates and destinations.
Let me explain. Airfares are the unit of measure for these price points and they have rules (or hurdles) associated with them, that if adhered to, will help you move down from a high price point to a lower level. These are some of the hurdles you must clear in order to be in that elite group that pays the cheapest amount for airline tickets:
Flight Time Requirements In some cases, the cheapest airline tickets restrict departure times to the least popular times of travel, including first flights out in the morning, after lunch and after dinner.
Travel Window Often airfare sale prices set a travel departure window so that you can t buy cheap airline tickets in winter for the popular summertime vacation season (the window is usually two to four months from the date you purchase the tickets).
Surcharges On the flip side, peak travel days (popular days to fly) are often slapped with an extra fee called a surcharge anywhere from $10 to $30 each way; and historically, we have also seen fuel surcharges tacked on when oil prices jump up.
So now you know the airlines airfare hurdles , but it doesn t stop there: airlines have a few other obstacles they erect between you and the cheapest airline tickets based on supply, demand, predicted trends, historical trends and convenience.
You see, when you ask for a quote for trip with a defined departure and return date (a trip whose dates and times also clear all the airfare hurdles), cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom you ll also get a final once over by the airlines. They look at that cheapest seat price you are eligible for and may decide No thanks, right now I think someone else is more likely to pay more before departure, here is a higher price I can live with right now.
This is where the crazy science of yield management comes into play (remember those computer geeks). Computers using sophisticated algorithmic models tweaked by human analysts make a final decision, right now, on your seat price. These models can and do change their minds at any time which is one reason why you may get a different cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom quote for the same flight at different times during the day (the other is price changes in airfare).
Our goal at FareCompare is to demystify this craziness with simple tools that help you make great (and cheap) airline cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom ticket-buying decisions. We have been working on it for years and are just now starting to roll out new tools that are fast, simple and effective to help you find a deal, every time you shop.
To button up this discussion, I expect that the next time you re on a plane, cheap airfare bargain airline ticket pricelinecom each and everyone one of you will brag to your seatmate that you know exactly why they paid more (or less) than you did, for the same exact seat.