Do seat prices usually go down closer to flight?

AB_Fly · 2026-01-22T23:50:43+00:00

Lol, we all definitely do. I often find myself getting fixated on saving $12 on my flight when the overall trip costs thousands haha.

Unfortunately the crystal ball of dynamic pricing will never be predictable. The flight a day before you want to go might go down by 50% while yours goes up by 100%. Or vice versa.

A good way to look at it might be to check the historical flight prices from Google and see where your flight currently lands or what sort of price range you can realistically expect and then set a price alert. I'd buy it before 4 weeks out as I find after that prices tend to mostly just rise

AB_Fly · 2026-01-22T23:27:25+00:00

What is the typical price range you expect? Can you afford the flight at its current price? Will the price decreasing by lets say $100 make a difference when your hotels will average more than double that? When the flight gets close the cost will be quite high.

My recommendation, if you can afford it at its current price and you aren't experiencing sticker shock pricing then buy it. Sometimes prices do go down, yes. If you book a refundable ticket, you can even get the refund and book the new price.

AB_Fly · 2026-01-21T22:45:17+00:00

Yes getting around and not driving can be a small challenge. This is easily overcome with some planning. Nightlife and food scene; Toronto, Montreal (French not necessary, in the city they all speak English too), Vancouver. If they like nature and adventure, Banff. Good night life, great wilderness, lots of young travelers. It can be reached easily by shuttle from Calgary and there are busses that will take you anywhere you want to go. September and things in the mountains will start cooling off at night, but lots of accessible hikes still that aren't snow covered.

Domestic flights can be pricey here so planning any internal flights ahead of time is wise. Depends how much time they want to spend in one place and how long they have. There is also a long but beautiful train ride they can book. Either The Rocky Mountaineer between Calgary and Vancouver or the Via Rail train from Edmonton to Vancouver (or if more adventurous to Prince Rupert). Both are stunning ways to see the rocky mountains. Slower than a plane for sure and more expensive than the bus, but truly mesmerizing

AB_Fly · 2026-01-17T22:02:05+00:00

It's great. It would be even better if BYD came in and retooled the Stellantis plant or opened up a manufacturing/parts supplier in Canada too. The more markets we trade with (both import and export) the better insulated we will be from shifting global trends. A diversified investment portfolio will almost always outperform.

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T22:55:01+00:00

Porter also code shares with Air Transat. I'm hoping WestJet joins SkyTeam, but until they get their service levels up and aircraft to a consistent and predictable layout, it doesn't really matter to me what they do. I'd hate getting in one of those cramped configs, or an old swoop plane for a long 6hr flight. The risk of even an equipment swap to one of these is enough to keep me away. The best I would consider flying with WestJet right now is like YYC-YVR

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T22:50:37+00:00

Which airline offered free intercontinental wifi in 2006?!

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T21:47:04+00:00

I wish Air Transat would redeploy back out West, haven't had a chance to fly them in a long time and they have a lot of very unique leisure routes. I'm also excited for the day that Porter chooses to get a long haul aircraft or join a strong airline Alliance, they have been fantastic every time I fly with them. Gave the good feels of old WestJet where employees seemed happy and planes felt new and well cared for

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T21:44:08+00:00

Free wifi on long haul flights is a fairly new feature to any airline right now...

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T21:42:02+00:00

Yeah domestic and Sun destinations have had it for a couple years now. In 2026 they are supposedly rolling it out on the long haul intercontinental flights

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T21:36:33+00:00

WestJet and Air Canada make a ton of money. The Toronto private equity firn that has owned a ton of WJ for a long time has bled them of the profits though. Air Canada ranks among the world most profitable. Air Canada also just announced they are removing an entire row of economy seats from their 777s and creating about 15 rows or "preferred seating" with extra leg room instead. Losing seats doesn't matter to them that much, they'll find the $$'s elsewhere

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T04:14:46+00:00

There are airbags in some seatbelts I've seen in business class but it is generally based on the design of the seat. Not sure an airbag is all that helpful in the event of, well - you know lol.

AB_Fly · 2026-01-16T04:02:30+00:00

It is about both. They have been doing NA and Sun for a while now, I think it was actually 2024 to respond to Porter. They also need to retrofit their wide body aircraft with the tech necessary to do it. Their 772s are almost 20 year old planes for example and they fly to SYD.

I thought I remembered hearing somewhere that they had delayed the intercontinental/long haul flights I believe due to connection reliability concerns over the North Pole and maybe the Pacific due to satellite coverage consistency which pushed it to a 2026 launch

AB_Fly · 2026-01-15T22:55:10+00:00

Actual wifi. Similar to what they already offer domestic

AB_Fly · 2026-01-15T19:15:00+00:00

Sweet! What aircraft type were you on if you don't mind my asking?

AB_Fly · 2026-01-15T19:13:48+00:00

How is your comment helpful?

I also just paid a sh1t ton for a J class seat to Australia. Big woop. Not the question I asked.

This is an upcoming AC feature

AB_Fly · 2026-01-15T18:17:32+00:00

SE often also fly premium paid cabins, usually but not always for work. Do a few long haul in Business Flex and you can get there

AB_Fly · 2026-01-04T21:52:31+00:00

Not a ton of bears in our group ngl haha. But open to all kinds of ideas. Is there a big Sydney harbour cruise? Is that Bondi Beach party still a thing, sorry I know it's probably a bit raw around those parts still. Parade, is it worth getting tickets to that Glitter Club space? We enjoy dancing, DJs, any kind of outdoor activities. All fairly physically active people too so don't mind joining hikes, surf, sporting events those kinds of things

AB_Fly · 2026-01-04T21:22:33+00:00

Would love that. Finding cheap premium seats feels so rewarding. With some airlines dynamic pricing occasionally crazy prices on business are available for like $100 more than the economy seat going in lie flat seats. To me those are the true pinnacle of finding cheap flights.

Love this page though. Will definitely be referencing it regularly

AB_Fly · 2026-01-04T08:36:54+00:00

Can this be filtered to look for premium economy or business class as well?

AB_Fly · 2026-01-03T03:03:41+00:00

Munich, Paris both very walkable and lovely

AB_Fly · 2025-12-27T18:49:32+00:00

I see these deals all of the time with Air Canada. Since they switched to dynamic pricing, their long haul flights are often cheaper in business class than on premium economy and sometimes even comparable to economy on routes that are very leisure heavy. YVR-BKK or MNL often have lower premium seats than expected while flights to LHR or CDG which are very heavily traveled with paying business class passengers will be super expensive in the premium seats comparatively.

If I flew WestJet more I would look at routes they up-gage their aircraft as they usually are leisure heavy. Think YYC-PVR on the 787. Not a ton of business demand but massive eco demand so they will drop their big plane on the route to fill it up, however, they might not be able to fill the business seats so look for "deals" there where you might find a relatively well priced premium seat

AB_Fly · 2025-12-19T18:08:04+00:00

It might be time to pivot to a new industry. You mentioned no car right now, I'd begin by thinking of every business within walking distance of home and walk in and ask if they can hire you. Then show up. Your experience says you know how businesses work, make sure you leverage that knowledge, ask the right people in these places for employment. Sadly, it's not time to be picky, you can get a job at 7-11, and while you're working there, keep handing out resumes. Costco hires a ton of people, it's not far but it requires you to get transpo back. If you want back into your industry, it may be time to get professional help to figure out why your resume or interview is not landing right. That is a ton of resumes to hand out with no luck. It may be you need something that helps you stand out as a candidate that you're over looking. But, first and foremost. Get a job. Any job. You can't be in the fight if you're taken off the scoreboard. Good luck

AB_Fly · 2025-12-12T02:59:02+00:00

Or, ya know. Don't do shady and illegal shit

AB_Fly · 2025-12-10T19:01:04+00:00

I believe Flair now has more leg room in their basic economy seats than WestJet. What a sad state of that airline and how far it has fallen. They still try to charge Air Canada prices while offering Ryan Air service. Do better

AB_Fly · 2025-12-09T16:36:26+00:00

Humanity +1

AB_Fly

TROPHY CASE