Do fares change mid-afternoon?
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
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Posts: 16,901
Do fares change mid-afternoon?
I'm just now booking a ORD-LGA for October and when I started on the first screen it had fares as low as $364 with many options at that price, but by the time I clicked through to the return screen it had gone up to $389 - thinking it was a return of the old "the lowest fare doesn't actually exist problem" I went back and started over.
Now the lowest fare is $389 - with every single fare bumped up the same $25, so it isn't just a change in availability on a certain flight, it seems to be across the board.
Now the lowest fare is $389 - with every single fare bumped up the same $25, so it isn't just a change in availability on a certain flight, it seems to be across the board.
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,317
I'm just now booking a ORD-LGA for October and when I started on the first screen it had fares as low as $364 with many options at that price, but by the time I clicked through to the return screen it had gone up to $389 - thinking it was a return of the old "the lowest fare doesn't actually exist problem" I went back and started over.
Now the lowest fare is $389 - with every single fare bumped up the same $25, so it isn't just a change in availability on a certain flight, it seems to be across the board.
Now the lowest fare is $389 - with every single fare bumped up the same $25, so it isn't just a change in availability on a certain flight, it seems to be across the board.
#3
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Fares can change, no set time. Since I don't know your flight dates and fare code needed, I did a search for Oct. with best Economy fare and found many dates for $299 RT.
#4
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I'd have thought so as well, except absolutely every single flight on that round trip (and on ORD-LGA there are lots of flights) went up $25 - I doubt every flight would have had a fare bucket sell out at the exact same moment.
#5
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
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True - perhaps new fares were loaded in advance of the earnings call tomorrow
#7
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#8
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 25 years/2MM, Honors LT Diamond, AVIS & Hertz Prez Club
Posts: 4,753
Fares can and do change. I even had a close in fare DEN-LAX jump over $100 while pricing things out. Logged off and went back in and the old fare was back 30 minutes later. Right now, I see your $389 fare as an "S" with lots of inventory in the S bucket. So they may very well have upped the S fare by $25. Since this is far enough out, if price is important, you may want to wait til closer to Labor Day when some fare sales happen (unadvertised). However, since your outbound is a Sunday, be prepared for that one to stay pretty tight.