Are airline ticket prices cheaper for some flights than others even before tickets are sold?
Using WebJet travel for looking at return flights between Sydney and Brisbane, I noticed that even when I looked as far ahead as possible (Saturday 16 September to Sunday 17 September, approximately 11 months in the future), the cheapest flight from Brisbane back to Sydney was a Virgin Australia flight at 7 AM at $99, approximately $50 cheaper than other Virgin Australia "Getaway" return flights from Brisbane to Sydney.
Is this because some tickets have already been sold for other times in the day, driving those prices up, or do airlines have a lower initial price for some slots compared to others?
I had a brief look at How do airlines determine ticket prices? but it didn't seem to answer this.
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Does airline tickets get cheaper the closer to the date?
Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date. According to the CheapAir.com 2019 Annual Airfare Study, you can expect rates to go up after that period.What determines the price of airline tickets?
Top Factors That Determine Flight Ticket Prices- Factors that determine flight ticket prices.
- Distance. Primarily, distance plays a pivotal role in determining the flight ticket prices. ...
- Peak season. ...
- Flight timing. ...
- Flight travel type. ...
- Competition with other players.
Do flight prices go up the closer to the flight?
As they generally get more business sales closer to the date of the flight, prices typically go up as the date of the flight gets closer. How fast the flight prices rise and how often depends on how the airlines' sales have gone compared to what was expected.What is one way to get a better price for an airline ticket?
How to Book the Cheapest Flight Possible to AnywhereHOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS - My Best Tips After Booking 500+ Flights
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Torsten Dettlaff, Vincent Albos, Adriele Vieira, Julia Volk