Can anyone explain airfare rates?

[pmsmechanic]

I fly frequently, about a year ago I downloaded the Hopper app on my iPad. It is a really nice tool for shopping flights. Shows you all the dates as well as best days for the best fares.. All color coded so it's easy to see. It also tells you weather process are ecpected to go up or down for those dates, and the best time to book the flight.

I down loaded Hopper because I wanted to try it. I must be doing something wrong because I can't get any results for Calgary Alberta to Cap Hatien Haiti. It's rather frustrating!

 

[Overtaxed]

I fly a lot. <sigh>

The issue you're seeing is because the route you want is an "owned" route by American Airlines. Your home airport to PHL is a route that they have the vast majority of the flights on, so they can price it high, because there's not much/any competition. Going from your home airport to Allentown, however, you have lots of options where you can make the connect, PHL, LGA, JFK, etc.. So they have to be far more price competitive on that route than they do to PHL, because they know there are a lot of ways to get from where you're starting to Allentown with a single hop.

The most expensive domestic flight I ever took was PBI-CLT, an entirely "owned" route by American (US Air at the time), it was over 1000 bucks for a round trip. I flew through CLT all the time though and the prices were entirely reasonable, it was only if you wanted to get off and stay in CLT that the price went bananas. Hidden city ticketing is the answer to this problem, but, be careful, airlines look for this and it is a violation of some crazy rule they have instituted. If you do it a lot, you could get yourself banned. And, as others said, you need to do it as one way tickets with no checked baggage.

 

[EddieWalker]

I can't explain why tickets cost what they do, but I have found that by tweaking a few things when comparing prices, you can find significant savings depending on who you use to buy the tickets, when you leave and come back, and oddly enough, where you have a layover.

Last time I bought tickets, I saved over $400 each by staying in London instead of Germany on a flight to South Africa. We found that price on Priceline. What was really odd is that some of the other websites didn't even list that particular flight.

Before that, we wanted to fly to Venice Italy for a cruise. We had to be there on a certain day, so I searched every site I could find for the best airfare and they where all crazy high. Then I got the idea to see what it would cost to fly to other cities and take the train to Venice. Flying into Geneva Switzerland and taking the train to Zurich, spending two nights there, then another train to Innsbruck Austria for another two nights, and then down to Venice was less then the flight to Venice!!! Granted, we spent an extra week sight seeing and having fun before our cruise, which was never part of the plan until it made sense to modify our plans.

 

[japody]

Just talked to my brother about a trip he is taking next week. A return flight from NYC to Myrtle Beach SC is going to cost him $18. That's $4 for the flight and $14 in taxes. Go figure.

 

[rekees4300]

Airfare rates can be explained with one word GREED

 

[Streetcar]

Allegiant Air is akin to the old Bob Newhart...... Grace L. Ferguson Airline & Storm Door Company.
Take it from a 31 year retired airline captain.......Don't do it!!!

Allegiance has greatly improved maintenance and reliability in the last couple of years.

 

[smstonypoint]

Airfare rates can be explained with one word GREED

Paraphrasing <--------------------

It is not from the benevolence of the United, American, or Delta that we expect our air transportation, but from their regard to their own interest.

Steve

 

[Streetcar]

Every place that I buy things from wants to make money from me

 

[smstonypoint]

Every place that I buy things from wants to make money from me

"Who woulda' thunk it"?

Steve

 

[mark02tj]

Allegiance has greatly improved maintenance and reliability in the last couple of years.

While I don't necessarily take what I see on TV as Gospel, one of the news magazine shows (20/20, 60 Minutes, Dateline, etc. - I can't remember which) did a piece on Alligient and recent "incidents" that they've had that were related to maintenance. They might have improved, but I don't think they're there yet.

I did fly them to FL a couple of years ago. It was an interesting experience. You were not supposed to eat your own snacks or drink your own water - you were supposed to BUY it all from them. I price them from time to time and by the time I pay to check a bag or be allowed to stow my carryon in a bin, pay for a reserved seat, etc., it's not much more to fly a more established airline. The main thing that they have going for them is that they're non-stop to vacation destinations. We don't have many direct flight options out of our local airport - other than to ATL, Chicago, DFW, CLT, etc.