Something Doesn’t Seem Right…
May 3, 2022, 11:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 425
Something Doesn’t Seem Right…
Trying to book an LAS-BMI one way trip next month and I'm getting about 1/4 of the options I usually get (all 2 stop flights) with prices about 3-4 times higher. Is this a combination of a pilot shortage/fuel prices/pent up demand? Or is there something going on with the Delta server today? Thoughts?
OPS
OPS
May 3, 2022, 11:12 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: London/JAX
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It's most likely something to do with fare inventory. I was looking at MIA-SBN on Delta back in March and it wanted to send me MIA-ATL-MSP-SBN instead of just MIA-ATL-SBN and it was saying only First was available for $1800 one way. Ended up flying out of FLL for way less. Have also had stuff show up using miles instead of cash too which is probably a similar deal. Booked a BOS-ATL-JAX I might have to take with miles as the paid options had me sitting in ATL for 3 hours and getting to JAX at 1AM for the BOS-ATL I wanted while an option landing an hour and some change earlier into JAX was available using miles so I did that. Might be worth seeing if anything new comes up with miles just to see.
May 3, 2022, 11:15 am
#3
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Trying to book an LAS-BMI one way trip next month and I'm getting about 1/4 of the options I usually get (all 2 stop flights) with prices about 3-4 times higher. Is this a combination of a pilot shortage/fuel prices/pent up demand? Or is there something going on with the Delta server today? Thoughts?
OPS
OPS
May 3, 2022, 11:24 am
#4
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Not really just one thing. Pent-up demand + typical summer seasonal demand + capacity reductions. ATL-BMI went from 3xCR9 pre-COVID to 1xCR9+1xCR7 post-Covid. With only 2x flights per day, this greatly limits connecting options and there's a greater chance of married segment availability limiting booking options to higher fare classes. There's a decent chance there will be some cheaper options if you book LAS-ATL and ATL-BMI flights on separate fares than the price on a single fare (it will also open more connecting options as you will not be subject to 4 hour connection limit when booked on a single fare).
May 3, 2022, 11:25 am
#5
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Part of it is that Delta's RM algorithm doesn't believe in selling connecting flights (typical married segments are very suppressed compared to each segment alone).
May 3, 2022, 11:33 am
#6
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Not really just one thing. Pent-up demand + typical summer seasonal demand + capacity reductions. ATL-BMI went from 3xCR9 pre-COVID to 1xCR9+1xCR7 post-Covid. With only 2x flights per day, this greatly limits connecting options and you there's a greater chance of married segment availability limiting booking options to higher fare classes. There's a decent chance there will be some cheaper options if you book LAS-ATL and ATL-BMI flights on separate fares than the price on a single fare (it will also open more connecting options as you will not be subject to 4 hour connection limit when booked on a single fare).
I tried booking just LAS-ATL and it was still only showing around 5 one-way flights and all main cabin and C+ were sold out. No connecting flights. Very strange as I've never seen this.
I've never had an issue booking connecting flights on Delta ever. It doesn't make sense if the algorithm doesn't believe in selling connecting flights when t's only offering me flights with 2 connections.
OPS
May 3, 2022, 11:37 am
#7
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From MSP, many routes require nonstop flights. DL will show expensive connections, but they tend to be broken fares.
May 3, 2022, 11:52 am
#8
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At this point, don't really see anything less than K bucket availability on June LAS-ATL flights (and pretty much only on Tue/Wed redeye's for K). It's summer demand + booking relatively close in. There's X bucket availability (with BE and main cabin fares) available for mid-July and beyond flights. The $199 - $229 fares below are all X basis fares.
May 3, 2022, 12:11 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,884
DL's algorithms seem a bit out of whack lately due to constant schedule changes. The last month or so the pattern has been very similar: Friday night DL makes schedule changes. Saturday, some flights have abnormally high inventory available and you can snag some really good fares. As they swap pax between flights that have been cx'd, inventory disappears and by Sunday everything is a B or Y fare. Tuesday through Thursday things settle out and "normal" fares appear, but some flights that are either at risk or may need to take pax from a flight that is at risk may only be selling at a B or Y fare even if the flight is empty.
May 3, 2022, 12:20 pm
#10
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DL's algorithms seem a bit out of whack lately due to constant schedule changes. The last month or so the pattern has been very similar: Friday night DL makes schedule changes. Saturday, some flights have abnormally high inventory available and you can snag some really good fares. As they swap pax between flights that have been cx'd, inventory disappears and by Sunday everything is a B or Y fare. Tuesday through Thursday things settle out and "normal" fares appear, but some flights that are either at risk or may need to take pax from a flight that is at risk may only be selling at a B or Y fare even if the flight is empty.
May 3, 2022, 3:47 pm
#11
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May 3, 2022, 5:37 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 258
I was signed up for a conference in June in Vegas. Having a terrible time getting tickets. Wanted to use a fc companion cert and no go. Ticket just me was looking at 1600 and red eyes both ways. Just canceled the conference. Try it next year. Previous two years got canceled. Mco<>las. Two heavy tourist cities probably didn’t help.
May 4, 2022, 3:52 am
#13
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I was signed up for a conference in June in Vegas. Having a terrible time getting tickets. Wanted to use a fc companion cert and no go. Ticket just me was looking at 1600 and red eyes both ways. Just canceled the conference. Try it next year. Previous two years got canceled. Mco<>las. Two heavy tourist cities probably didn’t help.
May 4, 2022, 9:31 am
#14
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Just called the Diamond desk and they confirmed what I’m currently seeing on Delta.com; down to only 1 option to BMI on Wednesday June 8 for $1100 (Main Y) with 2 stops.
I know things are slowly getting back to normal due to Covid, and fuel prices are up, but even last year flights were not this bad. I have no idea what’s going on but it’s extremely frustrating to see only 5 options available and all with 2 stops.
I know things are slowly getting back to normal due to Covid, and fuel prices are up, but even last year flights were not this bad. I have no idea what’s going on but it’s extremely frustrating to see only 5 options available and all with 2 stops.
May 4, 2022, 9:57 am
#15
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This pretty much says everything. June 8th is a particularly bad day for availability on LAS-ATL flights. Once you exhaust non-stop LAS-ATL options and have to start using double-connects to get to BMI (as the only flights are through ATL), it's not surprising there is only Y inventory open. High demand (possibly due to some event) and booking too close in.
Once in awhile, you need to consider other options than DL.
Once in awhile, you need to consider other options than DL.
Last edited by xliioper; May 4, 2022 at 10:09 am