Originally Posted by
SocialAdept
...cancelling a seat well in advance, giving the airline the opportunity to fill it + keep your money is a good deal for them that doesn't make it into market analysts' reports. Empty but paid seats however regularly show up in statistics and garner attention...This of course all assumes you can cancel the ticket by dial tone calling or online. You still don't want to talk to an agent.
That makes sense. I was inclined the same way, but without the benefit of your friend's knowledge, I was thinking like: A live reservation is always out there to draw attention, whereas a canceled one is gone unless someone specifically hunts it down. After all that is what I experience with my own reservations.
