Q: I needed to travel to Boston recently, leaving London on a Sunday and returning the following Tuesday. I almost always fly economy, usually with United Airlines. When I checked their site the lowest fare I could find – including taxes - was £880, but if I went on Saturday it was £286.60. The cheaper ticket was non-refundable and the more expensive one more flexible – but why such a huge difference?British Airways and Virgin were offering much the same.
JC, UK-based publishing consultant
A: This looks like an extreme example of yield management, or counting on the unwillingness of business travellers to trade time for savings.
United says simply that it “offers a range of tickets that give the customer differing degrees of flexibility when booking”. If more travellers played airlines at their own game and were prepared to accept restrictions such as a Saturday night stay, the apparent fare anomalies might not be so great. Suppose companies split the savings with their travellers – or suggested they take partners? There's a thought.
Q: There seems to be incredible inconsistency with airline security depending on the airport in question and even the queue one stands in. Recently I took a flight out of Gatwick and was asked to remove my shoes whilst travellers in another queue were not.
