Are Prices Cheaper if You Show up at the Airport at the Last Second?

At first thought just showing up at the airport and paying a low fare might sound like a good idea. But when thinking the action through, you might find that it would not reap you a discounted vacation. There are several factors that might prevent you from getting a good deal on a last second vacation.

  1. If you are looking for a cheap flight, booking at the airport will not help your cause. More than likely because the airline has you right there ready to depart with the plane; you are going to pay a higher fare for being unexpected. There is no reason for the airline to offer a reduced fare since you are there with your money ready to go.
  2. Not all tour operators have booking agents at the airport. While many charter companies send representatives to the airport to ensure everything runs smoothly with their clients, the representatives may not be able to book new passengers.
  3. Some charters and tours have exclusive agreements with certain travel agencies so in order to book a vacation, the client would have to make arrangements with the respective agency.
  4. When traveling to certain locations, connecting flights might be required. It will be very difficult to book the flights at the airport if the connecting airline is not represented there.
  5. Security measures may prevent you from taking advantage of discounted fares if they were available. Arriving last second may be too late to make it through all the security to catch the flight.

There does seem to be some discrepancy, however, in whether or not showing up at the airport is a good idea when trying to get a cheap flight. Some say that the day of the departure, if you call the airlines every few hours before the flight, the price goes down considerably as time gets closer to the departure time. Others say that the cheap tickets are sold far in advance of the flight so if you arrive at the airport the day of the flight, you will pay premium pricing.

Personally, this author has found the latter to be the case on several occasions. The prices were in fact, considerably higher than if they had been booked some time in advance. Further if you have ever tried to reserve a ticket last second for a family emergency, you know that the prices are so high, it is difficult to fathom paying such exorbitant fares.