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Saturday night stayover fares
Question:
> It’s the same reason that your phone rates are cheaper during *NON* > business hours – the businesses pay a higher rate and the excess capacity > of equipment (telephone switches and cables OR airplane seats) earn > whatever extra income they can, since the resources are there whether > they’re used or not. It costs little extra for extra phone calls or > passengers when the phone equipment sits idle or the plane flies with > empty seats.
Not at all. Every body pays more for phone call during business hours. In the case of Saturday night stay over, people flying in the same plane pay very different fares.
Response:
>Business travelers don’t stay over a Sat night. And they usually fly >regardless of the fare. Tourists, on the other hand, usually stay over a >Sat night, and their travel decison depends on the fare. >Airlines try to make the most money from each type of passenger. First >sell expensive seats to business people, who have no choice. Second, sell >remaining seats to tourists (who are concerned about how much they spend). >How do they know which passenger is a business person? Ask them if they >are willing to stay over a Sat night.
Which is why in my case, this strategy doesn’t work. When I travel on business, I tend to stay over a Sat. night anyway. I’ve found that I can net (after accounting for additional food/lodging costs) as much as $100.00 in savings by staying over Sat. night. Maybe I’m lucky that I am single and can afford to stay over a weekend, but whatever works eh? Regards, Arnold.
Response:
> Not at all. Every body pays more for phone call during business hours. > In the case of Saturday night stay over, people flying in the same plane > pay very different fares.
it would be just as useful to say they are using the same wires as to say they are using the same plane. they aren’t using the same service. the passengers are using the same plane but they are not using the same service. Business travellers want last minute availabiilty and frequent flights. Recrational travellwers want low fares and are willing to make plans in advance. These are different services Vince
Response:
It’s the same reason that your phone rates are cheaper during *NON* business hours – the businesses pay a higher rate and the excess capacity of equipment (telephone switches and cables OR airplane seats) earn whatever extra income they can, since the resources are there whether they’re used or not. It costs little extra for extra phone calls or passengers when the phone equipment sits idle or the plane flies with empty seats.
Response:
Business travelers don’t stay over a Sat night. And they usually fly regardless of the fare. Tourists, on the other hand, usually stay over a Sat night, and their travel decison depends on the fare. Airlines try to make the most money from each type of passenger. First sell expensive seats to business people, who have no choice. Second, sell remaining seats to tourists (who are concerned about how much they spend). How do they know which passenger is a business person? Ask them if they are willing to stay over a Sat night. This also explains why the fare depends on how long in advance you purchase the ticket. If you are in an emergency and need to travel tomorrow, they will sell you an expensive ticket. If you have time to shop around and wait, they will sell you a cheaper one. Conclusion: they charge the most they can to each type of traveller. Recently, someone wrote here that "business travellers subsidize us, the tourists". That is not entirely correct. The airlines are in the business of taking as much money as they can. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Can anyone tell me the rational for airline fares based on a > Saturday night stay.
Response:
Can anyone tell me the rational for airline fares based on a Saturday night stay. Thanks Marty
Response:
> Can anyone tell me the rational for airline fares based on a > Saturday night stay. > Thanks > Marty
Business travellers (the people wearing suits and ties on those long flights) usually travel during the week and want to be home by Saturday morning to spend it with their families. Companies have to pay the full fare cost of sending ‘em along to do business. Vacation travellers (who always want to stay wherever they’re visiting over a week or two, and at least a Saturday night) are much more budget concious, and that’s why the fares are so much less. Hope that makes sense… – http://www-personal.umich.edu/~myke = my web page – – Michael Dautermann…. U-M Alumni calling in from way out there –
Response:
: Business travellers (the people wearing suits and ties on those : long flights) Oh, I thought those guys were the smugglers 
(dressed so as to avoid suspicion) : usually travel during the week and want to be home : by Saturday morning to spend it with their families. Companies have : to pay the full fare cost of sending ‘em along to do business. : Vacation travellers (who always want to stay wherever they’re visiting : over a week or two, and at least a Saturday night) are much more budget : concious, and that’s why the fares are so much less. The other reason is based on the "excursion fare" idea. Many fares in Europe charge the same amount for a single (one way), as they do for a return (in under five days, with certain conditions), reasoning for this is that in many places routes are duplicates (ie Dover-Calais, as is NYC-LAX), and the carrier feels that a business traveler that is paying full price can switch at will between carriers (especially if s/he is buying the ticket just before boarding — or whips out an OAG and chooses the flight for most convienience) — therefore, why not give a discount for people who can commit to returning on the same carrier (business travelers included.) On other reason (that does not apply to many routes) is that there are different markets on both sides of a route. For instance, the cheapest ticket from NYC to LHR is more than in the reverse (this is even more apparant with US locations to foreign destinations such as BDA where a return ticket is a necessity to even think of getting out of the airport), therefore the airlines charge less to people who can commit to staying over the weekend AND returning (yet more than a single ticket.) In short: the airlines want to eliminate the possibility of a person with an indeterminate stay buying a one way ticket and than taking advantage of a different market (and pricing structure) on the other side of the route. (I have many times seen tickets from resort destinations to the states (round-trip), cost less than US-resort desinations (single.) dave — David Case THE THIRD FORCE