Choice Air - steep price increase, why?

[peterm]

I am looking into one-way flights from Zuerich ZRH to Ft. Myers RSW after a transatlantic cruise in May 2014. Choice Air offers great prices in April/Mai 2014 (around $ 480.00), but on May 16, 2014 the prices jump from $ 480 to $ 730- $ 770 for the rest of May and into June. I checked also prices from Rome to Miami with a similar result, so changing airports doesn't help.

Why is this steep increase? Could it be that it is to early to book airfare now and prices will come down later?

[slidergirl]

I am looking into one-way flights from Zuerich ZRH to Ft. Myers RSW after a transatlantic cruise in May 2014. Choice Air offers great prices in April/Mai 2014 (around $ 480.00), but on May 16, 2014 the prices jump from $ 480 to $ 730- $ 770 for the rest of May and into June. I checked also prices from Rome to Miami with a similar result, so changing airports doesn't help.

Why is this steep increase? Could it be that it is to early to book airfare now and prices will come down later?

 

Those "cheap" flights are for the Spring, not quite prime tourist season. The fares after May 16 are in prime summer tourist time. So, naturally the price will rise to reflect the market.

[Gunner22aa]

Mid May starts into the high season for Europe and many other places as well. Waiting to book is a crap shoot at best. The longer you wait the greater the chance that the better routing options will be gone. Not sure of the size of your party but as planes fill up your seating options go down as well. Don't bet on a price decrease in peak season. If anything odds are it will go up. On any given flight you might have paid 300 for a seat and the guy next to you double that. There could be a dozen different fare classes for the same plane. Only so many seats get sold at bottom dollar, and they go fast and conversly at top dollar as well. Boils down to how much of a gambler you are.

[kenish]

Keep in mind that tickets through a cruiseline are often "scratch and dent" fares that were bought in bulk from the airlines. The airlines know far in advance if there is excess capacity. It's cheaper for them to do a "stop loss" and avoid the sales and marketing costs to sell the seats at a later date.

 

Airlines are doing a better job of adjusting their fleet capacity to demand, and have figured out that limiting supply is more profitable than increasing demand through lower prices. Airfares in general are going up, and the number of tickets they need to get rid of is reduced. Also like hotels and rental cars, the airlines have figured out how to directly sell excess capacity and avoid fire sales through third parties which erodes the "brand".

 

A friend works in the "back office" of a major hotel chain...the number of rooms they release to Priceline and similar services is much lower than a few years ago.