Vmax From Kenya, joined Sep 2006, 26 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 1267 times:
Sorry to post a really dumb question on here but I did a search and couldn't find any answers. So I'd appreciate any help anyone's willing to give...
I'm looking to travel LHR-NBO on 3 November, returning 30 January 08, probably with BA. I've been monitoring their fares (and those of VS and KQ for comparison) over the last few weeks. My first foray onto BA's website provided me with a return economy (cheapest) fare of approx £629. Fast-forward to this week and I've consecutively had fares of £363.30, £459.30 and then £350.30 today over the last three days. I'm not in any hurry to book so I plan to keep comparing the fares over the course of the next month for the sake of curiosity.
However... what I want to know is how does this seemingly random fare-pricing malarkey work?!! I can't believe the difference in fares simply by one day! VS and KQ fares have, oddly, remained at the same level during the same period.
Please enlighten me someone?
Vmax
It's always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's just hilarious.
I think that it is the outbound flight that is causing the price variances. There is currently just one seat being sold at the N class fare (you can disregard E/L/S/Q class for ex-UK fares) so there is a very strong probability that other travel agents or BA offices have bookings on hold that subsequently lapse and sporadicaly releasing/taking away extra inventory. But, conversely, more of those bookings that are being held will eventually be confirmed so the N class fares will sell out and the next one available will be V class. With currently just one N class fare being sold, that is going to disappear - permanently - very soon.
From Carduelis' fare breakdown, it's fairly straightforward to see that the £215 base fare is a NRCGB8 fare which is totally reliant on N class availabilty. It doesn't fully explain the wide range of fares you have been quoted as the availability, whilst dynamic, is very unlikely to have been this dynamic. It could possibly be due to V and N class fares only recently becoming saleable (it is common on some routes for availability to start from R class upwards before lower fares are made available).
However, that diminishing N class availability on the outbound flight certainly accounts for some of the more recent fluctuations.
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