Ah, the mysteries of airline pricing…
Even a little flexibility can go a long way in stretching your dollars, when it comes to plane tickets. I did a few comparisons for possible departure/arrival combinations from our local big airline:
| Depart | Return | $ Fare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | |||
| Thu 25/Feb | Sat 13/Mar | 840 | |
| Thu 25/Feb | Sun 14/Mar | 890 | |
| Sun 28/Feb | Sat 13/Mar | 1024 | |
| 3 weeks | |||
| Thu 25/Feb | Mon 17/Mar | 860 | |
| Thu 25/Feb | Fri 19/Mar | 840 | |
| Thu 25/Feb | Fri 19/Mar | 840 | |
| Fri 26/Feb | Web 17/Mar | 1145 | |
| Fri 26/Feb | Fri 19/Mar | 1125 | |
| Sun 28/Feb | Mon 22/Mar | 994 | |
| Sun 28/Feb | Web 17/Mar | 1044 | |
| Tue 02/Mar | Wed 24/Mar | 810 | |
| Thu 25/Feb | Sun 21/Mar | 840 | |
| 4 weeks | |||
| Thu 25/Feb | Sun 21/Mar | 840 | |
| Thu 25/Feb | Wed 24/Mar | 810 | |
| Fri 26/Feb | Sun 21/Mar | 1125 | |
| Tue 02/Mar | Sun 28/Mar | 840 | |
| Tue 02/Mar | Sat 03/Apr | 890 | |
| Fri 26/Feb | Sat 03/Apr | 1175 | |
Preliminary results indicate that leaving on a Friday is a bad idea, whereas return dates have an influence but less so. Length of the trip doesn’t seem to be of great impact, it’s just a matter of choosing days regarded as less desirable by our winged-friends. Huzzah!