I think the other thing we have to remember, as with all sales, it is a marketing tool. With a crowded airline sector, competition is already fierce and profit margins tight; this means that to have ‘great bargains’ then you would perhaps need to inflate prices at other times which would make BA uncompetitive.

Alternatively you use it as BA have, look for where there are gaps in your inventory and when these dates are, then use marketing to drop those prices, albeit restrictely on dates, to draw people to your site, some of these may be loss leaders, but other flights may be booked as a result which are not.

Those who have been waiting out for specific flights may be lottery winners, but the majority not and will end up buying the flight they would have anyone which they would have purchased before had they not been waiting out for Cyber Friday.