Does anyone know where you can find airlines’ so-called “published fares”? Is there, in fact, someplace where airlines officially publish their fares (e.g., with some regulatory agency or industry association) or does that term merely refer to the fares that some airlines advertise in the newspaper?
I ask because I’d like to be able to find out what the price of an international airline ticket was on a particular date (or during that week) several months ago. (If anyone knows where I can find those, I’d be grateful.)
You might be able to find the full-coach price for that date. However, there was probably no one on that plane that actually paid the full-coach fare. It is likely that the people on the plane as a group paid 10 or 20 different fares depending on when and where they bought their tickets. That makes your question very difficult to answer. Can you clarify what information you want?
Thanks for your response. I realize that airlines sell seats at different prices for any particular flight, which they do using fare basis codes (e.g., Q, V, H, Y). What I’ve always wondered is where, if anywhere, airlines “published fares” – a term you frequently hear in in phrases like “Delta is offering 20% off its published fares for travel to . . .” But beyond that curiosity, I need to find out what any particular airline’s fares were for travel between, say, L.A. and Johannesburg in the month of November-- or at least the average economy-class ticket for that period. I know there are many variables that affect airfares (advance purchase, length of stay, etc.), but perhaps there is some way to know this. Doesn’t some business or association track average airfares between major cities over time?
The only such public information I can find is from an organisation organised by American Express, and only covering internal US fares. Yes, there are many organisations doing such surveys all the time - within travel companies. It’s highly valuable market information, so they’re not going to put all their hard work in and then make it public so their competitors are able to use it.
It may be possible to find more detailed information on specific routes - but probably only on major ones such as New York - London. Sure, LA and Johannesburg are both big cities, but that particular route is not particularly significant.
Any phrase concerning ‘reductions off published fares’ should be treated as just promotional hype and typically mendacious advertising. It means nothing whatsoever. To publish just means ‘to make public’. So Airline X reckons a good price for a given flight is $400. They publish a price of $500 on their website and then announce “20% off!!!” and sell it at $400. Their purpose is not to do favours to you, the customer. Their purpose is to make wealth for whoever owns the business.
That having been said, the airline industry is insanely competitive, and so the different rival companies are forced to be as flexible as possible on price, and offer all kinds of differing deals, to try and run rings around one another. Plus there are complexities arising from the way ‘blocks’ of seats are sold to different retail outlets, travel agencies, intermediaries and representatives, all of whom can muddy the waters by offering their own array of discounts and options e.g. they may chip a bit off the airfare part of the package, mentioned in large print, provided they can sting you on the insurance and the hotel, mentioned in tiny print if at all.
As for your query, I don’t think there is going to be some definitive record you can consult that yields the answer. The best you can do is find a helpful travel agent who might have dealt with that fare on that date, and ask them to help you work out the best approximation.