What’s the deal with this requirement that, to take advantage of airline ticket discounts, you often have to stay at least a Saturday at your point of destination? IIRC, your trip can be as short as three days as long as there is a Saturday somewhere in there. Is this standard practice among airlines?
WAG: It allows them to minimize discounting tickets to business travellers who would rather come home on friday than save the company a few bucks. I’m sure someone else can verify or refute this.
I believe Gatsby is correct. The airlines make their money off of business travelers who have to pay full-fare or close to it for most flights. And full-fare is extremely expensive.
Call up an airline and ask them for a price on the next flight from LA to NY and returning by Friday. The price will make your head spin.
It’s definitely, as stated above, a gig the business traveler deal. I used to go to Jackson, Mississippi on business (from Houston). Now, Jackson’s a nice town and all, but it doeasn’t draw a lot of tourist traffic. The roundtrip fare during the working week was $650 (hell, I can get to NYC or LA and back for less than about half that) and the stay over Saturday fare was $150 (and the plane would be about half-full - yes, I’ve weekended in Jackson).
Hooray for Cecil: Why are air fares cheaper if you stay over Saturday night?
Should have gone for the obvious, but it never crossed my mind. Many thanks guys (…not to mention Our Master).