Originally Posted by Lemurs
The cynic in me says this is to keep people like me from benefiting from the inevitable random mileage bonus they offer in December for booking flights in that month.
It's much more likely that the fares are higher during the holidays because more people are sitting at their computers thinking about booking trips. This means not just FTers but less price sensitive people are thinking about 'that Europe trip in March'. By the time we get to January 10, it's only FTers checking the fares again, so the revenue-maximizing price is lower.