Originally Posted by
alexcr
What are the best tactics for booking a large number of seats on a flight, particularly when it's within a few days of departure?
I know that when you book seats separately, i.e. one after another, there's a risk that the earlier purchases will drive up the prices for the later purchases, especially if there are a limited number of seats remaining on the flight.
Can this be avoided by purchasing all the seats together at the same time, i.e. as part of the same order?
It depends on how many you're going to buy. Most airlines have a limit above which your booking counts as a "group" (on AA for example it's either 8 or 10, I can never remember). Group bookings are handled separately from "normal" bookings so your best bet is to either call the airline or find a good travel agent.
If you're talking about 5 or 6 people then you're on your own. In that case there are pros and cons to how you book them. If you book them together then oftentimes you'll all land in the same fare bucket, which may not be the cheapest one. For instance, if there are 2 seats at the cheapest price and you search for 3 then, in my experience, you'll see the 3 seats available in the next bucket up. So in that sense you should book your group separately, except that has its own issues (FF benefits, irops treatment, for example).