Ryanair Pricing

[candoo]

This is not a bashing thread so please keep in context.
Am organising a trip for a few people to Salzburg later in the year and the prices are fluctuating wildly.

When planning the trip last year flights were typically, travelling at that time, £4.99 each way plus taxes etc.....
When booking earlier this year flights were £39.99 each way + taxes etc.... OK I thought so they have gone up, must be a popular destination.

Now the lazier buggers are finally booking their tickets and some are getting prices as low as £4.99 each way and the flights I paid £39.99 for are down to £29.99!!!!

Anybody have a clue how the price changes with regard to load factors and time before the flights. Just interested as there are still a few lazy buggers left to book - should they hang in there for a better deal?????

Travelling end of May if it helps.

[tom de luxe]

Booking cheap flights on FR, now that's an art, not a science, so no, can't help you there.
But if there are really really cheap flights, well, book another flight where prices are higher and it makes sense for FR to actually fly, lest your flight be cancelled due "no planes 'cos of Boeing strikes"

[Newforest]

Originally Posted by tom de luxe

Booking cheap flights on FR, now that's an art, not a science, so no, can't help you there.

The black art of 'Yield Management' Bet there are loads of books written on the subject, anybody able to give us a Dummies Guide to the Art!?

[Desert Diner]

Yield Management is right.

[PAXboy]

I had the same thing when we were travelling back from Aarhus (Denmark) a few weeks ago. We wanted teh Sunday evening but the Monday morning was much cheaper. By the time I had checked with travelling companion and host to stay another night - the pricing had reversed and we went on the Sunday.

The flight was very busy [+95%] and went smoothly. Apart from the male teenage boxing club from Liverpool. However, I do hope never to have to travel with FR again. Too many uncertainties.

[slim_slag]

These newbie airlines have pricing software which is a lot smarter than the punters buying the tickets. They know how we behave and will price accordingly to maximise their revenue. No harm in that, shop around for the cheapest and most convenient and if it's a good deal buy it. It's a bit like haggling in somewhere like India, you know you are going to pay more than the local but if you are happy with the price then the best attitude is to be happy.

[Memetic]

I think it is based on something I heard described as second order differential pricing. Where (Really stretching into old memories here!) the software adjusts the rate of change of prices to adjust the rate of change of seat purchase so that ideally the aircraft has its last seat sold the day before departure and hence maximises yield - by leaving a few seats free to be sold to "I must travel" passengers but not leaving any non revenue seats.

So if sales slow the price will gradually drop until bargain seekers buy, if that triggers a group booking,which ramps the rate of seat filling this makes the price of the next seat to higher and increases the price steps between subsequent seats sold.

And if all that is not how it works but a good idea then condiser it mine and we'll discuss royalties :-)