musicdude91

Looking to book from boise to lax on the 18th. It was $134 yesterday. today when I was ready to book the same flight jumped to over $250. The same flight is $134 on the 19th

What's the reasoning for that? Now I have to cancel my plans thanks to United.

guv1976

How much do Allegiant, American, and Delta want for travel on the 18th? All offer nonstop service on that route.

musicdude91

Delta is $154 but it's a morning flight. I'm trying to fly after work. Both united flights jumped from $134 to $244 and $287 for ONE way.

American doesn't fly nonstop from Boise to lax. Allegiant only flies Sundays and Thursdays.

mjg59

Many fares have an advance purchase requirement, such as needing to be booked either 30 days or 14 days in advance. Once you're within that limit those fares are no longer available, and closer-in booking tends to be more expensive. The flight for the 19th will probably go up by a similar amount tomorrow. Unfortunately this is how the airline industry tends to work, as opposed to being anything specific to United.

rch4u

United apparently sold more seats on the flight, and accordingly zeroed out some of the cheapest fare buckets. You are blaming United for other people booking the seat you wanted?

QBK

Many published fares -- both on United and other airlines -- have advance purchase requirements. 14 days is a common requirement. Probably what's going on is that the $134 fare has a 14-day advance purchase requirement. The next lowest fare that doesn't have that requirement is $250. Today is the 4th, thus the switch.

rch4u

Not in this case - the cheapest buckets are 4- and 7-day advance purchase. The price went up because passengers booked the remaining cheap inventory.

Nikongirl

You're trying to travel over a holiday weekend. Monday, Jan. 20 is MLK Day.

musicdude91

I'll just end up flying alaska with a layover in pdx.

If I could fly in the morning then I'd just fly delta since the same non stop flight on delta is $100 less than united

WineCountryUA

Fare are sold in discrete buckets, if the bucket is sold out (and it just takes one purchase if nearly sold out) or the fare expires due to advance purchase requirements, the fare will move up to the next bucket.

This was not personal or some system seeing your interest and bumping up the price, it is just a matter there is no longer any cheap fares available of UA.

UA will notice others are selling lower fares and UA may replenish the lower fares or decide it has sold enough and not do anything.

Think of it like this, you when to a store and saw a red shirt and a blue shirt available for sale, you when home and decided you like the red shirt -- but when you got back no red shirts were left -- only the blue shirt which you don't like. This wasn't because the store disliked you but rather, the inventory was gone.

If another carrier has lower prices, go with them. Perhaps UA sold out because it was more convenient than the alternatives.

guv1976

Sorry; my mistake about AA.

Often1

For the future and the benefit of others, the thing to have done was to book on the spot and then cancel (within 24 hours) if your plans took a different turn. You would have had the cheaper seat and the flexibility.

mctaste

This isnt the airline’s fault.

LondonElite

Airine pricing is dynamic. It changes according to real demand/supply. That is the reason. United is not at fault here, you should have booked when you had the chance at the lower price.

kevflyer

Should have locked in the price. I've been burned a few times too. So now I just grab the ticket if I can live with the price.