Jan 28 2010
Why Airfares Vary From Site To Site
Our friend Arthur Frommer, spoke yesterday on his blog about a question we’re also frequently asked. His readers, like ours, are often unable to replicate a fare that we’ve researched and know is available. Arthur gave his good thoughts behind the discrepancies and points to the provisional nature of air fares typically presented on the meta-search sites.
Here are my thoughts:
Meta-search companies, like Kayak, Momondo and others, do not generally show fares available “now,” but rather fares that were recently found. That is true for example when looking at a fare calendar.
Only after you input specific dates, or sometimes when your search is turned over to the provider who is paying the meta-search company, will currently available pricing be presented. Because initial pricing is looking back at what someone last paid, it can vary a lot from site to site. Final pricing for your trip can also sometimes be significantly different than what you first see, even staying on the same site.
I recently spoke with the CEO of one of the meta-search companies, who explained that the reason they do it this way is two-fold. First, the cost to perform the actual fare and availability search is relatively high. It can be up to $1 per search. Second, presenting past fares is far faster and less expensive for them.
Suggestions:
Always go beyond the fare calendar to check specific dates and flights and determine actual pricing.
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I think posting airline prices that were in the past is false advertising. I’m so sick of seeing, \$$$\ round trip to Hawaii, and checking my dates and seeing that the price quoted is 2/3 of what I’d actually have to pay. Most of the time I don’t look at them. Qantas is pretty good for their flights to Australia from the west coast of the US.
@Chris — so I am sitting here in a coffee shop reading the San Jose Mercury Times Travel section and it’s full of advertised prices for airline tickets, cruises, hotels. Do you think each and every one of them is still going to be available when I call them tomorrow morning?
What’s annoying is one-way fares that are advertised with the fine-print disclaimer of requiring roundtrip purchase. Or taxes and fees and surcharges that are not included.
@Jeff — who gets the fee ($1 or so) for a fare search, the airlines or some intermediary or both? Seems rather excessive.
Thanks for comments Chris and Oliver.
I’m used to how OTA’s price, and have been traveling between Hawaii and the mainland for so long that it is second nature. So I don’t find it obfuscating, but understand how it seems that way.
As for the fare search, Oliver, I’ll check into it. I’m sure they’re paying ITA to do the search, but that may not be who gets all of it.
Aloha, Jeff