Do last-minute flight tickets exist?
Today, I'd like to address the topic of “last-minute” flight tickets. Do they really exist, or is it just a marketing ploy? And if they do, where can you buy them?
What are last-minute flight tickets?
In the understanding of an ordinary person, these are tickets at very low prices. But in reality, this is not the only distinguishing feature of last-minute flight tickets. Let's break it down in order... “Last-minute” means it's about to disappear, i.e., in the case of flight tickets it's a ticket for the nearest flight. Most of you believe that if an airline doesn't sell such a ticket, it will lose money because the seat will fly empty. But in reality, that's not the case. Airline pricing is quite complex and convoluted. But know one thing – if there are empty seats left on a flight before departure, the airline won't be upset about not selling those tickets. It will never lower prices; what it will definitely do is increase their price. Here's a look:
| Destination | price 2 weeks before departure | 7 days before | 1 day before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow-Berlin | 4,389 RUB | 4,767 RUB | 8,971 RUB |
These are the lowest prices for a one-way Moscow-Berlin flight. As you can see, the more “last-minute” a ticket becomes, the higher its price.
Where did these “last-minute flight tickets” come from?
The term itself originated from travel agencies, or more precisely, tour operators. They are strictly tied to specific tour dates and, as a rule, pay for hotels and airplane seats in advance, not as tours are sold. Therefore, they genuinely lose money if a tour isn't purchased. The only chance to sell it literally on the eve of the flight's departure is to significantly reduce the price. If there's little chance of selling a tour, the tour operator might split the package and sell, for example, only a flight ticket for a charter flight. Only for a charter can you buy a “last-minute” flight ticket. Unfortunately, charters are seasonal flights and mainly fly to popular resorts. If you need, for example, a ticket to Paris, you can only buy it for a regular airline flight, which means you can forget about “last-minute” offers. But you always have the option to buy a flight ticket on Kupi.com on promotion.
Where to buy last-minute flight tickets?
There can be two options here:
- Contact a travel agency.
- Buy online on websites that sell charters, for example, at www.chartex.ru.
