are airline prices going up
Most airlines have long offered to refund the difference in their fares (minus a rebooking fee) in the form of a voucher to customers who ask. Using your confirmation number, Yapta.com will track the price of your ticket, taking the airline’s rebooking fees into consideration, which generally range from $75 to $150. Even domestically, two fares are often less than one, such as the recent scenario where Dallas to Honolulu was selling for $350 round-trip with tax, but Houston/Honolulu was $800. As you're no doubt aware, you can fly Houston-Dallas for a lot less than $450! Some airline costs are going down, but ticket prices are still going up. The biggest expense for any airline is fuel, and the price of jet fuel is down 18% since August. Still, airfares are up 3% this year according to the industry trade group Airlines for America. And they've climbed 31% since 2009. But the high prices haven't chased away fliers-planes are more packed than they've ever been. About 85% of seats have been filled so far this year, a record high. But the advice is mixed for summer flights. “I would suggest buying your airfares for summer as soon as you can,” said Krista Pappas, global travel industry director for Bing, citing high fuel prices, tight seating capacity and strong consumer demand as a recipe for rising rates. The average refund during that time (after factoring in fees) was $179 last year versus $125 this year. Orbitz.com also offers a refund service called Orbitz Price Assurance for airline tickets, with refunds of $5 to $250 a traveler, if another Orbitz customer books the same ticket on the site for less. 8. Use Priceline for last minute trips. If you don't have a 7-, 14-, or 21-day advance purchase window to buy your fare, your best bet is the name your own price feature of Priceline.com. True, you won't know the exact flight times or airline you're flying until to pay for your trip, but you can save 50% or more. 9. All of this is good news for airline investors. Shares of Delta Air Lines (DAL) , American Airlines (AAL) and United Continental (UAL) are all up between 48% and 74% in 2014. Southwest Airlines (LUV) is the best performing stock in the S&P 500 so far this year, more than doubling in value. 8. Get a Refund When Fares Go Down. If fares go down after you've purchased your ticket, ask for a refund! You may not always get one, but policies vary by airline -- and many do not publicize the fact that they will refund you the difference if prices go down. It can't hurt to ask. Yapta.com will track flights for you after you purchase and notify you if the fares go down. On certain routes, prices are particularly volatile. From Seattle, a round-trip United Airlines flight to London in mid-March that cost $718 on Feb. 15 jumped 35 percent to $966, just four days later, according to Yapta.com. Later that month it dropped to $772, and by March 13 it was back up to $976. 1. Buy Early. Especially during peak travel periods, making reservations late in the game can cost you a lot of money. Airline ticket prices typically go up in the last two weeks before flying, so if you're planning ahead, try to make the call before this deadline.
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