WHY Is My Price Different?

The short answer is: prices constantly change.

Now for the longer answer.

The biggest cause of price volatility is airfare.  Airlines have large departments completely dedicated to seat inventory control.  They are charged with the task of selling every airline seat on every plane, at the highest possible price.  In order to do this, these wizards designate what I look at as “buckets” of seats on each flight.  Each “bucket” is a different price.  The lowest price seats, of course, sell first.  Each “bucket” also has unique rules that apply to that particular price.

When your friend booked that package, they may have taken the last seats in one lower priced bucket, leaving higher priced seats for you.

Those same wizards of airline pricing are constantly changing fares. They can completely change the fare structure without notice and at any time.  When your friend booked, one fare structure may have been in place, then an altogether different one was filed by the time you booked, even if your friend booked just a few minutes before.

The hotel in your package could also have caused the price difference.  While less volatile than airline seats, hotel rates are subject to change at any time as well.  Not only that, but hotels have different types of rooms, each with a different price.  If your friend booked the last standard room, and you are left with the higher priced junior suite (for example), that could account for the price difference as well.

Other, optional, items could also cause a price difference.  Upgraded airport transfers, travel insurance and optional excursions are just three possibilities.

Besides all of that, are you sure that your friend booked the very same package?  You’d be surprised how often we get this question when the two packages in question are for different numbers of nights, from different cities, even at different hotels.