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Why do airline ticket prices change so often?

Planning a summer getaway can be tough when airline ticket prices change with rapid frequency.

ATLANTA—Planning a summer getaway can be tough when airline ticket prices change with rapid frequency.

Travelers are left wondering why the price seems to change every few minutes.

11Alive’s Why Guy talked to airline representatives and travel experts to find the reasons behind the constant change.

Anthony Black, spokesperson for Atlanta based Delta Airlines, explains that tickets go on sale 331 days prior to a flight. The initial price is based on numerous factors, including the cost of fuel and historical data that tells the airlines what customers have been willing to pay in the past.

“After that, it’s all depends on how the customers react,” says Black.

Nevin Spearman of SmarterTravel.com says airfares are “incredibly complex.”

“On a single flight, you might find as many as two dozen different fares, each influenced by different variables,” says Spearman. “Algorithms determine how many seats are set at what price point.”

If travelers quickly snatch up the cheapest seats, that leaves the more expensive seats for everyone else.

If no one goes for the pricier seats, or if there are cancellations, the airline might make more of the cheaper seats available.

A major event coming to a city will change the price of an airline ticket.

Liana Corwin of Hopper.com says the airlines typically check their data tracking ticket sales at the beginning of the week. Therefore, most of the price changes take place during the middle of the week.

Corwin says the prices are relatively stable when their first set, then start to move up or down five months prior to a flight.

There are websites that will alert you to trends in ticket prices to help take the pressure off of your planning for that big vacation.

If you have a question for the Why Guy, contact Jerry Carnes at whyguy@11alive.com, through the Why Guy Twitter account, or his Facebook page.

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