No two plane tickets are the same, right?
Last year I bought at a good price, this year at a higher price or vice versa. One ticket could be canceled, another not, sometimes we can change the departure and/or return date, sometimes not. Some tickets are valid for 1 month, others for 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. And all these are economy class tickets!
What makes them different, why do we sometimes pay more / or less theoretically for the same type of ticket on the same route on the same dates?
Let's decipher them together!
In economy class there is an average of no less than 13-15 types (called categories) of tickets. The difference between them is the price and conditions of the ticket which sometimes – and we know that very well, don't we? - the "whim" is added, meaning in fact the calculations that the airline makes for the promotion of destinations, routes, economic calculation and so on.
The price difference from one category to another is (again, we will give you an average) of 60 dollars, which means that, even in economy class, the difference between the cheapest ticket and the most expensive one can reach up to 8-900 dollars and even more because at full economy the differences are much bigger (2000-2500 dollars)!
The number of seats allocated to each category depends on the decision of the airline, the only one that can decide how many economy class seats they will have at the lowest price or for other economy class ticket categories.
That is why when buying a plane ticket it is good to tell the travel agent whether or not we are willing to pay more than the minimum possible price for a plane ticket.
Example: Let's say a plane ticket on route A-B costs $980 - this is the lowest possible price. The lowest possible price usually means not flying on the weekend and buying the ticket at least seven days before departure!
Obviously, one essential condition must be met: – there are still seats at that price on the days you want to travel. If the cheapest tickets are no longer available, the travel agent will look for available seats on other travel dates and stopover times.
It remains for you to decide how much you prefer the lowest price, and of course this is the most important option, or you can go to the next price category for a better flight schedule or better ticket conditions.
Let's not forget that there is no universal "recipe" - to leave on a certain day of the week for the lowest price, with a certain type of plane or to wait for "last minute" tickets - this latter option not existing at scheduled airlines.
The only really important and valid condition to travel at the lowest price is...that there are seats at the lowest price!
