Sales on Aer Lingus

ekellyie

I'm waiting to get the cheapest fare for a flight from Dublin to Hamburg return that i'm planning to book for September. I'm just a bit concerned as to whether the prices will go down, I recently looked at it and the fare one way out was €79.99 and coming back was €90.99. I'm aware that Aer Lingus tend to have 48 hour sales where they take 20% off the price or they have European sales where certain destinations have fixed one way fares. Are these likely to be issued during July/August?

coylemj

Waiting to get the cheapest fare is a game of bluff between you and the airline. They have very sophisticated software which aims to maximize the profit on each flight.

What typically happens is that the price starts off high to catch the people who are prepared to pay a premium price for the guarantee of being able to travel on a specific date and have it locked down well in advance. These are usually people attending pre-planned events like weddings where they have no flexibility as to the timing.

Bookings then typically start to dry up so the airline drops the fare to catch people who's travel plans are flexible and who might be attracted by lower fares. As the flight is gradually filled and the date of the flight approaches, they will start to raise the prices since people who book late in the day tend to be prepared to pay more - everyone knows that if you leave it until a day or so before the flight, you will pay more.

They may keep a couple of seats for the people who literally leave it until the last minute, people who have to attend a funeral or a business meeting that has been arranged at short notice, these people get severely screwed.

While you're waiting for the fare to come down, your biggest risk is that out of the blue the flight gets a block booking for 40 seats for a school outing which takes up most of the remaining free seats at which stage the airline will instantly jack up the price and you will have to fork out a lot more than you had planned for.

Like I said, it's a game of bluff to see who blinks first....

munchkin_utd

I had a look at the prices and they seem strangely high for out of season flights. Ryanair to Berlin also quite dear. Both so dear that a connection with Lufthansa via Frankfurt is about the same price range BUT you could then opt to leave Dublin on Friday evening so save a day of holidays compared to flying at 6 in the morning.

Is there something happening in Berlin or Hamburg that month that is boosting demand?

coylemj

munchkin_utd wrote: »

I had a look at the prices and they seem strangely high for out of season flights.

I assume by 'out of season' you mean flights after the summer in which case can I refer to you the second paragraph in my post above.

hytrogen

It's not just airlines who jack-up and down prices, the airports & local or national governments are also to blame for adjusting taxation of each flight & time slot the airlines bid for. If there is a demand around a certain time of day the port will increase the taxes to maximize revenue (as well as decrease security at check-in screening but that's another thesis & nightmare..) hence why crimeair (Ryanair) take the worst time slots in busy airports as these are the cheapest & and most attractive prices & so where their business model works effectively..

coylemj

Those issues are not in play when a punter like the OP has a given route and a narrow window of time in mind. I don't believe airport charges are that fluid, airlines tend to negotiate them in advance so they do not change from day to day and in the short term are not affected by flight occupancy i.e demand.

hytrogen

coylemj wrote: »

Those issues are not in play when a punter like the OP has a given route and a narrow window of time in mind. I don't believe airport charges are that fluid, airlines tend to negotiate them in advance so they do not change from day to day and in the short term are not affected by flight occupancy i.e demand.

Fair enough to the urgent or immediate use ticket purchaser but if you fly frequently you'll see the taxes & extra charges go up & down on a daily basis depending on peak or off peak and sale timing.. Sometimes they are absorbed by the airlines ticket fare or else they'll put it blatantly in front of you as you go to purchase.. I've noticed this

munchkin_utd

hytrogen wrote: »

Fair enough to the urgent or immediate use ticket purchaser but if you fly frequently you'll see the taxes & extra charges go up & down on a daily basis depending on peak or off peak and sale timing.. Sometimes they are absorbed by the airlines ticket fare or else they'll put it blatantly in front of you as you go to purchase.. I've noticed this

You sure?

From my observations only Ryanair messes with the tax costs.

Aerlingus is consistent in always charging the taxes, which to major german airports is not insignificant.

tatli_lokma

don't know if Aer Lingus do it, but Ryanair basically tag IP addresses, so as you go back every few days to check the price, you will see it apparently creep upwards in the hope that you will panic and bite the bullet and buy a ticket. I have seen this with my own two eyes - checked prices at home over a few weeks, and they seemed to be the same or going up. Decided to book the flight, did it in work as it is more secure, lo and behold, price was cheaper from a new IP address!
So while you are waiting and watching, they might be doing just that same thing to you! lol

AngryLips

Little Ted wrote: »

Ryanair basically tag IP addresses

For that to work wouldn't everyone need a static IP?

tatli_lokma

AngryLips wrote: »

For that to work wouldn't everyone need a static IP?

don't ask me! I'm not that IT literate!
But I have heard it many times, and I even thought myself that it might be an urban myth, but on trying it out, it seems to be true. Cheaper flight from my work IP (and possibly due to the fact that the work IP isn't an irish one?). when I went home that evening, out of sheer curiosity I checked in again and the price was more than I paid that morning in work!

hytrogen

AngryLips wrote: »

Little Ted wrote: »

Ryanair basically tag IP addresses

For that to work wouldn't everyone need a static IP?

it could be done using cookies..

jacool

hytrogen wrote: »

it could be done using cookies..

It is.
If you clear those down for Ryanair especially you can get a cheaper seat.
Its worked for me for flights from Cork to the UK.