Cathay ticket prices discrepancy
Sep 18, 2015 | 9:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: Greyhound Vermillion Mithril
Posts: 693
Cathay ticket prices discrepancy
I am wondering if I am doing something very wrong, or is this common knowledge. I found that ticket prices on cathaypacific.com are much cheaper than those on OTAs.
I did a few searches for long hauls from HK, to places where CX has direct flights, including ORD, DUS, LAX, and ZRH. The prices on cathaypacific.com are all around USD$900-1200. But if I run these searches on OTAs (I have tried ITA, orbitz, and HK and US expedia), the exact same flights very often cost 50% more, and sometimes more than double. Since I have tried both HK and US version of expedia I don't think it's a sale city issue.
Any clue on why this is happening?
I did a few searches for long hauls from HK, to places where CX has direct flights, including ORD, DUS, LAX, and ZRH. The prices on cathaypacific.com are all around USD$900-1200. But if I run these searches on OTAs (I have tried ITA, orbitz, and HK and US expedia), the exact same flights very often cost 50% more, and sometimes more than double. Since I have tried both HK and US version of expedia I don't think it's a sale city issue.
Any clue on why this is happening?
Sep 18, 2015 | 2:09 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
There are promotional fares online occasionally, but there should not be a 50% or 100% difference.
If you can get a good TA, you can most likely get a much better fare than the ones you can get from other online booking sites. They have access to better pricing and can call in to have seats released.
If you can get a good TA, you can most likely get a much better fare than the ones you can get from other online booking sites. They have access to better pricing and can call in to have seats released.
Sep 18, 2015 | 10:07 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
There are promotional fares online occasionally, but there should not be a 50% or 100% difference.
If you can get a good TA, you can most likely get a much better fare than the ones you can get from other online booking sites. They have access to better pricing and can call in to have seats released.
If you can get a good TA, you can most likely get a much better fare than the ones you can get from other online booking sites. They have access to better pricing and can call in to have seats released.
Sep 18, 2015 | 10:21 pm
#5
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 22,125
I am wondering if I am doing something very wrong, or is this common knowledge. I found that ticket prices on cathaypacific.com are much cheaper than those on OTAs.
I did a few searches for long hauls from HK, to places where CX has direct flights, including ORD, DUS, LAX, and ZRH. The prices on cathaypacific.com are all around USD$900-1200. But if I run these searches on OTAs (I have tried ITA, orbitz, and HK and US expedia), the exact same flights very often cost 50% more, and sometimes more than double. Since I have tried both HK and US version of expedia I don't think it's a sale city issue.
Any clue on why this is happening?
I did a few searches for long hauls from HK, to places where CX has direct flights, including ORD, DUS, LAX, and ZRH. The prices on cathaypacific.com are all around USD$900-1200. But if I run these searches on OTAs (I have tried ITA, orbitz, and HK and US expedia), the exact same flights very often cost 50% more, and sometimes more than double. Since I have tried both HK and US version of expedia I don't think it's a sale city issue.
Any clue on why this is happening?
Sep 18, 2015 | 11:06 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
I usually flew out from SFO. Most Chinese TAs there can get pricing about the same as online and occasionally better. OTOH, promotional online fare can be unbeatable.
Sep 18, 2015 | 11:16 pm
#7
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 22,125
Sep 19, 2015 | 12:30 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-PP, HL-DM, MR-LTP, HY-LTG
Posts: 26,017
These are called published fares and CX only files these at certain places (where they are accessible on OTAs).. namely ex-USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Switzerland. Everywhere else, CX maintains control over how it is displayed. In Asia, only some of the local OTAs have access to CX fares, and the rest are available through that country's local travel agencies, and of course through CX's website.
SQ also does something similar though they have relaxed a bit more than CX.
So when the fares look ridiculous high, its because the fare does not exist on OTAs in that country so it uses full fares in B, Y, and J class. All other fare classes can only be booked through cathaypacific.com.
SQ also does something similar though they have relaxed a bit more than CX.
So when the fares look ridiculous high, its because the fare does not exist on OTAs in that country so it uses full fares in B, Y, and J class. All other fare classes can only be booked through cathaypacific.com.
Sep 20, 2015 | 8:25 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: Greyhound Vermillion Mithril
Posts: 693
These are called published fares and CX only files these at certain places (where they are accessible on OTAs).. namely ex-USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Switzerland. Everywhere else, CX maintains control over how it is displayed. In Asia, only some of the local OTAs have access to CX fares, and the rest are available through that country's local travel agencies, and of course through CX's website.
SQ also does something similar though they have relaxed a bit more than CX.
So when the fares look ridiculous high, its because the fare does not exist on OTAs in that country so it uses full fares in B, Y, and J class. All other fare classes can only be booked through cathaypacific.com.
SQ also does something similar though they have relaxed a bit more than CX.
So when the fares look ridiculous high, its because the fare does not exist on OTAs in that country so it uses full fares in B, Y, and J class. All other fare classes can only be booked through cathaypacific.com.
Are the load factor on these routes so high that they don't care about OTA?
Btw, are there other airlines on OW that does this too?
Sep 20, 2015 | 2:52 pm
#10
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
.For me flying non-stop SFO-HKG, CX is the only OW airline. (It is codeshared with AA.)
Sep 21, 2015 | 12:35 am
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: AA & SPG Plat
Posts: 387
Sep 21, 2015 | 1:51 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
Once my TA was able to get me a fare on a booking class that CX already stopped publishing fare on for that flight (on a 23rd December SFO-HKG flight about 5 years ago). My father was hospitalised and I was in a rush to get to HKG. (Note: Seat guarantee is useless unless there is a fare.) My new TA called CX to get me a seat. Someone was probably bumped off the flight.
Sep 21, 2015 | 8:55 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LA/NY/CHI
Programs: AS 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,887
IME, this is a lot of where Cathay's cost-cutting comes in. Since OTAs usually charge huge percentage of the fare, it's very tempting for airlines to sell their own tickets
Sep 23, 2015 | 3:42 pm
#14
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Once my TA was able to get me a fare on a booking class that CX already stopped publishing fare on for that flight (on a 23rd December SFO-HKG flight about 5 years ago). My father was hospitalised and I was in a rush to get to HKG. (Note: Seat guarantee is useless unless there is a fare.) My new TA called CX to get me a seat. Someone was probably bumped off the flight.
And which CoS was it? Assuming Y....then which fare class did you end up getting? Which ones was available at the time?
Sep 23, 2015 | 7:14 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
It usually works better for Y. If L is 0 but M is available, CX may still release L to a high-value TA/consolidator (I would guess those committed to >1000 transpacific sectors per month) on request. I have been able to book lower fare tickets for my daughters during peak seasons that way. I don't think that TAs can do much on PEY, J and F.