Are early bird deals worth your while?
October 24th 2009 06:17
Category: No Category
Thought I'd just have a shameless moment - Flight Centre Ltd's Sydney Travel Expo is on this weekend at the Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. If you are around, drop by to say hi I'll be sitting at the Eastwood desk. (Even better if you are there to book something, give me a hand with my final months at the company 
)
Anyways, whether you go through a travel agent or go through online channels, you'll notice that early bird deals are starting to appear in every form of advertisements.
Are these good deals? Most people would ask, is this the cheapest time to purchase travel for 2010?
Well, traditionally, we would all say yes. Generally airlines would advertise early bird deals as the cheapest tickets you'll ever find for the upcoming year, if you know your plans exactly and that you won't change your mind, coz none of these early bird airfares are refundable, and changing dates can sometimes cost more than the original fare.
However, since last year's financial storm and when the Australian dollar dropped by 40% overnight, it is no longer the story.
For example, early bird deals for 2009 in November 2008 saw airfares to Europe drop to around $2000 return. At the time, when an average fare to Europe would cost at least $2400 that was a great price.
Come July and all the way through to December, suddenly the airline industry was hitting rock bottom, there were no bums on seats and a lot of the smaller airlines begin to fold - they had to take drastic actions and cut their airfares to as low as $1200 return to Europe and even more ridiculous - $899 return to LA from Sydney including taxes.
Up to today we are still seeing airfares at this rate and unfortunately people are starting to get used to this generally unfamiliar prices. $1700 is now too expensive.
The point is, those people who purchased early bird airfares in 2008 for 2009, were paying at least $200 more than what it is today. Making it not worth the while for them to book so much in advance.
But you know what? We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, just like I wouldn't have known, before I bought the $290 boots at Myers the other day that the same pair of boots would go on sale at 50% off the next day. It's really all luck.
The only advise is - if you think it's worth it, then go ahead. Even travel agents have no idea what the airfare would be like in 3 months time and airlines are certainly not going to disclose that information. Same thing in the Myer situation. Once you've got it, be happy. At least you know you are definitely going. One good thing about early bird is that you have first grab at the available seats. Even if a deal comes later in the year it is not guaranteed that there will be seats for the dates you want to travel, especially if it's going to be peak season.
Rather than airfares though, perhaps look into early bird deals with touring companies. Land components don't change prices that drastically as air components do, and generally land companies offer a deal that include airfare in the cost and can work out significantly cheaper if you were going to go on that tour/cruise anyway.
Happy travels
)Anyways, whether you go through a travel agent or go through online channels, you'll notice that early bird deals are starting to appear in every form of advertisements.
Are these good deals? Most people would ask, is this the cheapest time to purchase travel for 2010?
Well, traditionally, we would all say yes. Generally airlines would advertise early bird deals as the cheapest tickets you'll ever find for the upcoming year, if you know your plans exactly and that you won't change your mind, coz none of these early bird airfares are refundable, and changing dates can sometimes cost more than the original fare.
However, since last year's financial storm and when the Australian dollar dropped by 40% overnight, it is no longer the story.
For example, early bird deals for 2009 in November 2008 saw airfares to Europe drop to around $2000 return. At the time, when an average fare to Europe would cost at least $2400 that was a great price.
Come July and all the way through to December, suddenly the airline industry was hitting rock bottom, there were no bums on seats and a lot of the smaller airlines begin to fold - they had to take drastic actions and cut their airfares to as low as $1200 return to Europe and even more ridiculous - $899 return to LA from Sydney including taxes.
Up to today we are still seeing airfares at this rate and unfortunately people are starting to get used to this generally unfamiliar prices. $1700 is now too expensive.
The point is, those people who purchased early bird airfares in 2008 for 2009, were paying at least $200 more than what it is today. Making it not worth the while for them to book so much in advance.
But you know what? We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, just like I wouldn't have known, before I bought the $290 boots at Myers the other day that the same pair of boots would go on sale at 50% off the next day. It's really all luck.
The only advise is - if you think it's worth it, then go ahead. Even travel agents have no idea what the airfare would be like in 3 months time and airlines are certainly not going to disclose that information. Same thing in the Myer situation. Once you've got it, be happy. At least you know you are definitely going. One good thing about early bird is that you have first grab at the available seats. Even if a deal comes later in the year it is not guaranteed that there will be seats for the dates you want to travel, especially if it's going to be peak season.
Rather than airfares though, perhaps look into early bird deals with touring companies. Land components don't change prices that drastically as air components do, and generally land companies offer a deal that include airfare in the cost and can work out significantly cheaper if you were going to go on that tour/cruise anyway.
Happy travels
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