[Budget Overseas Travel Tips Vol. 05] Think of Airline Tickets as Having 'One Item, One Hundred Prices'
I have purchased a ticket for a trip to Europe in September, after monitoring price fluctuations for about three months.
Cheap overseas airline tickets have a truly mysterious structure; I think there might be as many as a hundred prices for a single item. Furthermore, the method for finding the lowest price is not always the same; it is no exaggeration to say that it tests your experience and intuition. The buyer's skill is put to the test.
What I ultimately purchased this time is a China Southern Airlines flight from Haneda to Amsterdam via Beijing. My final destination (for work) is Amsterdam, and this time I will also extend my trip to London (mostly for work) and, I think, the countryside of Morocco (for leisure). I will plan those parts from here on.
Those who think 'cheap' just because I mentioned China Southern Airlines should discard such preconceptions or stereotypes. Alternatively, JAL and ANA are charging 300,000 to 340,000 yen for the same dates, so you can choose those if you prefer.
I actually purchased it through an OTA (Online Travel Agency) called GOTOGATE. Their headquarters is in Sweden. Many people in Japan say various things about this company, and while I don't think those things are lies, I honestly believe that it is because the buyers have a low level of skill, and most issues can be avoided in advance. It is the largest OTA in Europe, and its global reputation is actually top-tier.
Now, before deciding to purchase through GOTOGATE, I search for various options while comparing them with others. And after deciding to purchase through GOTOGATE, I look for an even better method.
This is because, taking this instance as an example, the price varies significantly depending on how you access GOTOGATE.
I will show you a concrete example. Depending on how you access GOTOGATE, there is such a price difference even for the same flight on the same dates.
First is the result of searching directly on the GOTOGATE website. 90,365 yen. Even this is dirt cheap for this ticket at this time of year. As I wrote earlier, Japanese carriers cost three times this much. Furthermore, since Chinese aircraft can fly over Russia, although the connections are poor, the flight time is currently about two hours shorter than Japanese carriers that go over the North Pole or pass through Turkey from India.
This is the result when searching on Skyscanner and linking from there. 89,630 yen.
This is the result when searching on Google Flights and linking from there. 85,301 yen.
And this is the result of searching on the GOTOGATE smartphone app. 84,069 yen.
There is a difference of as much as 6,296 yen.
The fact that this access route isn't always the correct one is what makes it difficult, or rather, interesting.
Incidentally, I actually made my purchase yesterday, and it was 83,897 yen, which was 172 yen cheaper. I think this is due to the difference in exchange rates. The yen has suddenly become stronger, after all. This is also an important factor.
As a discount available only on the official app, paying with a Mastercard debit card gives you a 2,097 yen discount. They are running that kind of campaign right now. This was just a coincidence. It is relatively common for Mastercard to run promotional campaigns like this.
As you can see, searching for airline tickets is something of a hobby for me, so I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but I don't think there are many other products or services where the amount you pay changes so much just by being a little creative or knowing the right information.
It is a very fun game, though. Well then, everyone, have a great flight!