Last-Minute Deals Don't Exist, Here is How to Save When Booking Late

Although "last minute" is often associated with cheap flights, in reality you’ll almost always pay more than if you had booked in advance. This belief is a relic of the 80s, and modern pricing models have made it obsolete. But there are still ways to lower your fare if you end up booking too late, here's how.

Last-minute flight deals don't exist

Airlines divide their seats into different fare classes, with the cheapest ones typically sold first. Within each cabin class, there’s a range of fare classes, denoted by letters like K, L, Y, and B. The cheapest fare classes usually come with a minimum advance purchase requirement, meaning you can’t book them close to the departure date, even if the plane is nearly empty.

These rules are designed to maximize revenue by selling tickets at higher prices to customers willing to pay more, particularly business travelers. Booking late is convenient for travelers, but it’s crucial for airlines to ensure the plane is filled at the highest possible revenue. If prices were to consistently drop closer to departure, many travelers would wait until the last minute to book.

You may occasionally find lower-than-usual fares close to departure, but this is typically due to low demand and the inherent volatility of flight prices, not because of any discount policy as the date approaches. In most cases, booking earlier would have resulted in even greater savings.

Where does the last-minute myth come from?

Following the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, airlines began offering last-minute deals to fill empty seats. At times, travelers could even show up at the airport and snag a cheap ticket for a flight about to depart. However, this practice has largely disappeared with the advent of dynamic pricing. Today, yield management systems enable airlines to meet occupancy targets by constantly adjusting prices. Selling discounted tickets at the last minute would undermine this strategy.

Marketing around last-minute deals has fueled the myth. For example, the popular website Lastminute.com doesn’t offer exclusive discounts for late bookings. These sites often highlight soon-to-depart flights, but the prices are usually no lower than on other platforms.

How can I save when booking too late?

While you may not secure the absolute cheapest fare, certain booking strategies can effectively reduce the cost of flights that have already become too expensive:

• Spare Return: international one-way flights are sometimes restricted to the highest fare class due to minimum stay requirements and you can save by adding an optional return ticket to your itinerary.
• Spare Multicity: similar to Spare Return, multi-city itineraries also help you circumvent certain fare restrictions and sometimes result in lower prices.
• Layover Exit: lower fare classes may be reserved for itineraries to a further destination, in which case you may get a good discount on the standard fare.
• Back-to-Back: if you are planning on flying back to the same destination, nesting both trips together is likely to result in a lower fare overall.

Follow the links to learn more on each strategy and read our Guide to Airglitch Booking Strategies for a comprehensive overview.

Does Airglitch help find cheaper last minute fares?

In a way, yes. While we don’t have access to special last-minute fares (because they don’t exist), we can help you reduce the cost of unusually high airfares. Since last-minute bookings tend to be pricier, applying the booking strategies outlined above will help make your flight more affordable.

Airglitch has these strategies built-in, so you don’t have to worry about the technicalities. Our platform automatically applies the most effective strategies to your search, ensuring you get the best possible price.

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