Why is flying out of America more expensive?
May 23, 2013, 6:54 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Why is flying out of America more expensive?
Not sure where to post this...
I have a quick and simple question. Does anyone know how a roundtrip from AMS-LAX can be $1200 and a roundtrip from LAX-AMS (using the exact same dates) $1700?
I for once would love to know how this works since it doesn't make any sense to me.
Thanks guys!
I have a quick and simple question. Does anyone know how a roundtrip from AMS-LAX can be $1200 and a roundtrip from LAX-AMS (using the exact same dates) $1700?
I for once would love to know how this works since it doesn't make any sense to me.
Thanks guys!
May 23, 2013, 7:31 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Canadia
Programs: A loyal Amerisuites customer... oh wait
Posts: 2,033
Happens all the time. One or both routes of one trip are more popular than one or both of the other trip.
Flying from YWG > MIA on a Friday in January has very different demand than MIA > YWG. Same thing on a Sunday coming back.
That changes the price a great deal.
Flying from YWG > MIA on a Friday in January has very different demand than MIA > YWG. Same thing on a Sunday coming back.
That changes the price a great deal.
May 23, 2013, 7:55 am
#6
In Memoriam
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Easton, CT, USA
Programs: ua prem exec, Former hilton diamond
Posts: 31,801
They will charge whatever they find people are willing to pay. People leaving the United States are willing to pay 50% or more in some cases over the rate that people flying the other way are.
May 23, 2013, 8:02 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
@Jerry, I have been consistently checking prices for the last 5 years and it is always more expensive to fly out of America.
I think the other guys are really accurate. I have experience living on both continents and Americans do spend a lot more money than Europeans.
I use exact the same argument for why the app Whatsapp is so popular in Europe an not in the States. Americans don't care about saving $10 off their monthly cell phone bill, while Europeans are happy with 5 or 10 Euro's off their bill.
So interesting how people everywhere are so different!
I think the other guys are really accurate. I have experience living on both continents and Americans do spend a lot more money than Europeans.
I use exact the same argument for why the app Whatsapp is so popular in Europe an not in the States. Americans don't care about saving $10 off their monthly cell phone bill, while Europeans are happy with 5 or 10 Euro's off their bill.
So interesting how people everywhere are so different!
May 23, 2013, 8:58 am
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
I think it's a function of how each airline market operates based on its local competition, not so much a general statement that "Americans don't care about saving money". The usual complaint here is that they care too much, always buying the cheapest possible tickets without being fully informed or concerned about the amenities, service, and additional fees involved.
Mobile phone markets are also vastly different between the U.S. and Europe. Our mobile carriers in the U.S. have a tighter relationship with Congress than EU carriers do with their legislators. Consequently, we pay some of the highest rates in the world for mobile service. It's not because consumers are unskilled at shopping for mobile plans.
Mobile phone markets are also vastly different between the U.S. and Europe. Our mobile carriers in the U.S. have a tighter relationship with Congress than EU carriers do with their legislators. Consequently, we pay some of the highest rates in the world for mobile service. It's not because consumers are unskilled at shopping for mobile plans.
May 23, 2013, 9:19 am
#9
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 15
Is it really a USA vs international thing? I know for Thanksgiving last year JFK>MIA was 3 times as expensive as a flight from MIA>JFK on the same airlines at roughly the same time as day. I think a lot of it just has to do with the demand of where people want to go.
May 23, 2013, 9:30 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,988
More people want to head to N. Europe during the peak summer travel months, or to Florida in November, than the reverse.
May 23, 2013, 9:43 am
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
What are winter fares from Europe to the U.S. like? I have bought at least a dozen extremely cheap TATL's out of ORD in the dead of winter over the years. Plus another four or five cheap ones out of STL when there was still a sizable TW operation there.
It's almost impossible for them to have been cheaper coming the other way. They were rock-rock-bottom and sometimes included route bonuses.
It's almost impossible for them to have been cheaper coming the other way. They were rock-rock-bottom and sometimes included route bonuses.
May 23, 2013, 9:48 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
May 23, 2013, 9:55 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Supply and demand should not be relevant since we are using the exact same flights. Let's say there is a way higher demand for people flying from America to Europe, that would make that part of the trip a lot more expensive than your trip back to America. However, if I'm flying from Europe to America (the cheaper part of my trip), I at one point have to get back during the time when there is the same high demand and same high price, at least the same price is what you expect, but it is not. I still don't understand why. Not sure if I am missing something, but any argument besides Americans are willing to pay more doesn't make sense to me since you fly on exactly the same airplanes, on the same day.
May 23, 2013, 10:07 am
#14
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 15
What are your dates of travel though? That can matter greatly. People have to make return trips, so demand will flip direction. For my example, the NYC>MIA leg is more expensive on Wednesday before Thanksgiving than it is the Sunday following, because at that point, the demand has flipped to the MIA>NYC route.
May 23, 2013, 10:27 am
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS
Posts: 15,027
Not sure where to post this...
I have a quick and simple question. Does anyone know how a roundtrip from AMS-LAX can be $1200 and a roundtrip from LAX-AMS (using the exact same dates) $1700?
I for once would love to know how this works since it doesn't make any sense to me.
Thanks guys!
I have a quick and simple question. Does anyone know how a roundtrip from AMS-LAX can be $1200 and a roundtrip from LAX-AMS (using the exact same dates) $1700?
I for once would love to know how this works since it doesn't make any sense to me.
Thanks guys!