767/300 re 737/800

[sanne]

I seem to have a lot of questions at the moment. Hope someone can help me understand about these flights.

Why are flights on QF 767/300 a lot cheaper than on 737/800? i am looking at SYD / BNE late in the afternoon and the only difference that I can see in a very big price difference is the aircraft.

This forum has made me a lot more inquisitive as to the why and wherefore and it's great finding out about these things.

Thanks.

 

[pauly7]

Probably because there are more seats on the 763 therefore more of the lower priced fares available.

QF don't typically price by aircraft type so if you looked at the same route a year out for example the 73H and the 763 prices would most probably be exactly the same.

 

[Sprucegoose]

The rules of price never change. Supply and demand.

 

[JohnK]

In my experience SYD-BNE flights and vice versa are priced OK up to about 4:00pm and then for the 6 or so flights the price goes up remarkably and the last few flights of the night are cheap again.

 

[Mattg]

The rules of price never change. Supply and demand.

That is very true. There are always a limited number of seats available at each price. I suspect that because of the higher number of available seats on the 763, there is a higher proportion of seats available at the lower prices. So, assuming the same number of seats are sold for each flight, the 763 one will end up being cheaper as there is a lower proportion of seats actually sold. Prices will always be higher where more seats have been sold and vice versa.

Then again, it could just be the timing of the flights. If the 738 flies at a time when more people want to travel, then the price will be higher (coming back to supply & demand). So the 763s could be flying at more "off-peak" times, hence the difference.

I don't think there is any link between aircraft type and price. In fact, I prefer the 763 flights but for this route usually I end up booking the 734/8 flights because they are cheaper when I want to fly.

 

[ButFli]

Then again, it could just be the timing of the flights. If the 738 flies at a time when more people want to travel, then the price will be higher (coming back to supply & demand). So the 763s could be flying at more "off-peak" times, hence the difference.

But surely QF would try and schedule its biggest aircraft when there was higher demand?

 

[pauly7]

But surely QF would try and schedule its biggest aircraft when there was higher demand?

Sure but keep in mind they have twice as many 73H's & that 763 may be flying onto another peak hour service on the golden triangle or another route! To fully utilize the aircraft some have to do shoulder services

 

[sanne]

I am looking at 2 seats SYD/BNE on a Tuesday late afternoon. 4pm, 5pm, 6pm flights are the 737 priced at $167. The 5.30 is 767 prices at $99. Hence i wondered why?

 

[Berlin]

I agree with the others, it's probably due to the aircraft size and hence how many "cheap" seats are still left on each. However, there's of course also lots to be said about the two different types of planes: I often find the 767s more comfortable, especially up in J. Saying that, I still avoid them like the plague as they've been built in an ancient time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And that just doesn't make me feel too well on an airplane :shock:

 

[moa999]

You often find the 'off-hours' flights are cheaper (less demand)...
I suspect purely because people call up corporate TAs and say meeting finishes at 2pm, put me on the 4pm etc.

 

[jb747]

...... I still avoid them like the plague as they've been built in an ancient time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And that just doesn't make me feel too well on an airplane :shock:

I do quite the opposite, and avoid the 737 and the 330 if I can.

 

[drewbles]

As mentioned previously (by myself and others in various threads), in peak hour, QF sell peak hour as 'one flight' on their internal systems. That means, whilst there are specific flight numbers and you can book on one of them, for accounting and yield management purposes, all the flights are bundled together and treated as one. This enables them to shuffle people around to other flights, oversell one flight without any flow-on effect, and make things smoother for them. This is why you will see QF offering to move people on Red e-deal's during peak hour more often than outside these hours.

This is for MEL-SYD-MEL, SYD-BNE-SYD and MEL-BNE-MEL segments. They pay zero attention to what an individual flight has as its operating aircraft. They're going to put less O/N/M/Q fares on during these times as they know it's predominately business flyers, and they can charge it because people will pay it. As others have said, supply and demand.

Outside these hours, the economics will be different, but it's not necessarily related to aircraft type (it's more often than not that all O/N/M/Q class fare buckets for a segment are going to be the same price regardless of operating equipment).

And as per jb747, I purposely plan around a 737 and ensure I get a 767. I much prefer a wide body aircraft for the main reason that if I need to use the facilities, and there's a meal service, i'm not going to have to wait until the entire plane is fed and watered to get back to my seat.

 

[NM]

I do quite the opposite, and avoid the 737 and the 330 if I can.

Likewise. I prefer the 767 over the 737 for my regular BNE-SYD-BNE runs.

 

[eastwest101]

Likewise. I prefer the 767 over the 737 for my regular BNE-SYD-BNE runs.

Ditto - me too - for all of the reasons listed above and more.

 

[pauly7]

Ditto - me too - for all of the reasons listed above and more.

Ditto me too, avoid all 737s regardless of carrier as much as possible.

 

[harvyk]

Likewise. I prefer the 767 over the 737 for my regular BNE-SYD-BNE runs.

Ditto, 767 v 737, the 767 will win out every time...

 

[straitman]

I was going to say I prefer the 767 over the 737 but it seems I no longer need to do so.

 

[pauly7]

I was going to say I prefer the 767 over the 737 but it seems I no longer need to do so.

But you did

I wonder if DJ will introduce wide bodies at some point outside of trans Aus flights. There is clearly a massie consumer preference for them.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

But you did

I wonder if DJ will introduce wide bodies at some point outside of trans Aus flights. There is clearly a massie consumer preference for them.

there is a few A330 btwn SYD and MEL IIRC

 

[pauly7]

there is a few A330 btwn SYD and MEL IIRC

Yes correct, I meant more regularly...
Will be interesting in time what their replacement plan for the 737s will be.