Why airfares are not going down?

[IMA_FARANG]

Why do you think they should go down.?.

For one thing it is now coming up to the Christmas New Years travel season.

It is a time of many passengers and full planes.

What incentive is there to lower fares now?

The airlines are a BUSINESS, they are founded to make a profit.

Secondly, many airlines may have locked themselves into long term deals on fuel back when aviation fuel was expensive.

Air the fuel suppliers going to let the airline slide out of that deal now that air fuel is cheaper?

Not likely.

In the end of January and February when passenger loads are down, you will see deals with lower prices on long haul flights to keep the passenger loads up to where they are profitable.

No profit in flying a half-empty air plane.

It happens every year

Thirdly, I am already seeing fares down below $1000 dollars on the cross Pacific routes to the U.S. for future bookings, as every year.

[Kangaloo]

One way trip from Patong to Melbourne Vic with Qantas for the 7th of January 2016 was in excess of 50,000 Baht plus pay for your own luggage as a add on

Outrageous !!!

[neitmoj]

A Thai friend is flying back to BKK from LAX for Songkran 2016. Two years ago she paid a fraction under $1,000 with China Southern. That seemed a bargain at the time. This year, she's paying $613 with China Eastern, or $705 with EVA for much better connection times. But flying on from BKK to UTH remains as expensive as ever given the short distance ($107). Why? THAI's monopoly on the route out of BKK. Simple as that.

[Chivas]

I think the OP is referring really to internal fares

As regards International fares I've just paid £398 for a 2 month ticket on Oman end of January. This price is what I was paying 20 years ago when taxes were only a Tenner to boot.

[mogandave]

When people want higher wages is it greed?

I think most airlines buy fuel forward, so it would take them a year to see the savings anyway.

If you don't like it, don't trade with them.

[mickj88]

Emirates Man -BKK return in April £438 lowest price , 2015 lowest price was £580 so they are certainly cheeper.

Annoying thing is the wife got a free return flight for moving her flight last April when her flight was over subscribed, so only saving £438 not £580.Shouldnt complain though as it means I get to go cheaper too.

[mogandave]

In 1978 I paid $688 to fly coach in a Delta L1011 RT Orlando-Los Angeles and a barrel of oil was around $20.

A quick search showed I could fly I fly Frontier for $157.99

Greedy bast*rds!

[hawker9000]

Airlines don't set prices based on fuel. Like any other business they set them based on supply and demand. Some years they lose money because demand isn't sufficient to meet costs.

When they have planes half empty you may see fare wars. When they are running a suitable percentage of full seats you won't see the bargains.

They are businesses, not charities and without them we wouldn't be able to fly.

Absolutely right. Market economics. Once a customer base has "accepted" a given price, there's no economic incentive for a business to lower it unless competition drives the market price lower, and the customer base begins leaving. In the long run, if competitors can make a profit offering lower prices (on the same routes and at the same sevice levels), that's what will eventually happen (unless regulatory forces and other, mostly govt-imposed, barriers to entry prevent it).

[natway09]

Thai has certainly reduced long haul direct flights to Auckland by some 31% in the last 18 months.

Maybe not in their "high season" but comparing apples to apples in November & July for sure