Orbitz price assurance

[leonen154]

So i booked 4 tickets to aruba out of philadelphia about 2 weeks ago they were originally 444 then i looked and bang 550 so i bought. Then i looked a week later and back to 444 for the exact same flight the same planes everything is the same all planes same flight numbers. So i call orbitz they say well we have price assurance if someone else buys the same exact tickets on the same dates both ways we will reimberse you 30-90 days after your trip. Well what if nobody buys the same tickets i say they say there is nothing they can do about that. Why do the prices go back down and why do they make you wait that long for your money back. Anybody ever have this problem before.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by leonen154

Why do the prices go back down

I cannot answer questions regarding Orbitz and their policies, but below is one of the best explanations I have found regarding airfare pricing as set by the airlines.

Why do airfares fluctuate over time?

It's called yield management. The airlines have it down to an art form. The objective is to get the most amount of money they can from each flight.

At one time, the airlines sold all seats for the same price, but then decided that they could attract additional money by offering discounts for people willing to book far in advance. Those people tended to be people who didn't normally fly, so the airlines were able to attract additional passengers to their flights, along with additional revenue, without jeopardizing their base ridership.

The process has evolved to the point where the airlines know which days will attract more passengers, like the start and end of spring break, the Christmas holidays, and Thanksgiving. They price seats higher on those days. They also know the days when it will be harder to fill aircraft, like mid-week in February to Europe, when they will drop
prices to attract additional traffic to fill their planes.

Their general strategy is to set an initial price, based on how many seats they expect to fill. They monitor how quickly the seats are selling, and adjust the price upward until they feel they will get the highest price they can on average, while still trying to fill the aircraft. Occasionally, they will raise the prices too quickly, and back off a bit as the date of the flight gets closer, but that doesn't happen very often. ...."

[Randi]

I bought tickets in October through US Air (we are Canadian and usually fly Air Canada and they always start with cheapest price at the beginning and most expensive the closer you get to departure) to Aruba. I was worried that they would end up being so expensive the closer we got to our February departure. Well, last week the price was half of what we paid!!
Yes, they gave us a very hefty credit but it has to be used by October! This is very frustrating.

As I look to the prices for December '09, they seem to be high (which I realize is normal for the Xmas season) but I am told that they do go down later??? This is enough to make you crazy with this Russian Roulette type game???

[Weimaraner]

We are supposed to get $80 back from Orbitz after our trip since someone bought the same tickets as we did at a lower price. I think the price assurance draws customers but the fine print does say someone has to book the same trip so it reduces their pay outs to customers. Keep your fingers crossed that someone chooses your route.

[sunworshipperII]

I booked my sons girlfriends ticket to Florida on Orbitz in November from Chicago to MCO. Now mind u it was only from Fri - Mon, so me not really reading or understanding this Price Assurance thing kept watching the flight go up and down well I had paid 400.00 for the ticket it was down to 200.00 I was emailing them because I saw seats being sold on the flight well it had to be the exact flighit so Fri - Mon what are the odds. Well low and behold when we got back from the trip I had an email stating that I would be getting a 182.00 refund a check that I actually could cash. Not so shabby. So I guess its just a crap shoot if someone does the same flight which I think is pretty good odds.

[danadog56]

Originally Posted by Randi

I bought tickets in October through US Air (we are Canadian and usually fly Air Canada and they always start with cheapest price at the beginning and most expensive the closer you get to departure) to Aruba. I was worried that they would end up being so expensive the closer we got to our February departure. Well, last week the price was half of what we paid!!
Yes, they gave us a very hefty credit but it has to be used by October! This is very frustrating.

As I look to the prices for December '09, they seem to be high (which I realize is normal for the Xmas season) but I am told that they do go down later??? This is enough to make you crazy with this Russian Roulette type game???

Randi,
I am amazed that USAir even gave you a credit !!!! Did you book online straight through the airlines or did you go through a travel agent ??
I always fly them because I live close to Pittsburgh and they are actually the cheapest to fly to Aruba, but I have seen cheaper flights (exact same as we are on) closer to departure date and never even thought to call and ask for a refund.....

[Randi]

Originally Posted by danadog56

Randi,
I am amazed that USAir even gave you a credit !!!! Did you book online straight through the airlines or did you go through a travel agent ??
I always fly them because I live close to Pittsburgh and they are actually the cheapest to fly to Aruba, but I have seen cheaper flights (exact same as we are on) closer to departure date and never even thought to call and ask for a refund.....

I had was going to book online but thought to call us air to check the price over the phone and to my surprise it was cheaper than online even with the $30 charge! I have been watching the price online for a few months and when I saw that it was HALF of what I paid, after I finished being "sick", I called them and they gave me a very large credit. The only problem is that the credit goes to the date you booked not the date you called. The charge you a $150 change fee but I still got back over $400 in a flight credit.

[leonen154]

Guess i just have to cross my fingers and wait. Its still down so there is a good chance i guess. It sucks gambling on airplane tickets though

[Jarubian]

Hi All, I can just say this I am a travel agent, and not because of that that I am telling you all is to go thru an agent.
You always have someone to work with you, Websites like Orbitz and Expedia, make you jump thru hoops, and always have fine prints about things that never show up when you need it.
Leonen154, and all I hope you all get your credit you all deserve it.

[leonen154]

hey everyone just looked on orbitz again now they have flights thru delta 298 a person all taxes and fees included rrrrr. I hope somone can get the deal i missed.