Why you should never fly on Fridays, and instead choose this day.

Summary

The article advises against flying on Fridays due to higher prices and suggests choosing Wednesdays for better savings, potentially up to 40% less on ticket costs.

Abstract

The author, Levi Borba, a former strategy specialist in a top airline, shares insights into airline pricing strategies based on customer segmentation. Airlines categorize passengers into business and leisure travelers, with business passengers typically less price-sensitive and flying at the start and end of the week. Leisure travelers, who are more cost-conscious, tend to plan further ahead and are less likely to fly on Fridays. Consequently, airlines often price Sundays and Wednesdays lower than Fridays, with Wednesdays generally offering the best deals. The article emphasizes that understanding these patterns can lead to significant savings on flights, and the author promises to reveal more tips on booking flights in future writings.

Opinions

Airlines are adept at using customer segmentation for marketing, particularly dividing passengers into business and leisure categories.
Business travelers are less concerned with ticket prices, while leisure customers are more sensitive to costs.
Sundays and Wednesdays are typically cheaper days to fly due to lower demand from business travelers.
Special events and holidays can affect pricing patterns, but generally, flying on Wednesday is recommended for cost savings.
The author suggests that by avoiding Friday flights and choosing mid-week flights, travelers can save a substantial amount on airfare.

Customer segmentation

The good news? You can play with their segmentation to save thousands in your next travel.

I am seriously talking about price differences near 40% of the total paid for a ticket.

Airlines delineate their commercial strategy all over the expected behavior of customers. Millions are spent in research to profile and project the behavior of those buying tickets every day.

This entire effort starts at a very basic level: all the passengers are divided into two main categories:

Business or Leisure.

There are other groups (like pilgrims or visiting relatives) but their relevance is minor compared to those previously mentioned.

Business Travelers vs Leisure Customers: Who are who.

Business passengers usually are not paying their own ticket. They buy with less anticipation and are relatively inelastic (meaning they don’t care too much about the price).

On the other hand, leisure customers plan their trip well in advance. They pay their own tickets and are more price-sensitive (or elastic).

Business travelers tend to fly at the beginning of the week, like Monday, and return before the weekend, especially Friday. Meanwhile, they rarely travel at Sundays (except in the Middle East, where this is a working day) and Wednesdays.

Due to the lack of corporate travelers, airlines tend to price Sundays and Wednesdays at lower rates than Fridays.

There are exceptions, though. If a certain destination is attractive, for example, to Saudi nationals, Sundays tend to be expensive. This is because Sunday is a working day for them. Special events and holidays also may inflate the prices of specific days. However, in normal circumstances, the price pattern is relatively stable. This drives us to our conclusion.

Conclusion

All the rest being constant, the best opportunity to save money is to avoid flying on Fridays. Wednesdays, on the other hand, tend to have much better prices.

That is how you will hack the day of the week price segmentation. In my next story, I will tell you how much in advance you should look for flight tickets! Hope none of my former airline bosses feel betrayed by that.

Subscribe here, for free, to my email list and receive the digital book 20 Essential Hacks for Saving Money While Travelling. Discover the way to cheaper flight tickets and even an upgrade to Business Class! Written by an author that worked during years in some of the best airlines of the planet.

Why You Should Never Fly on Fridays, and Instead Choose This Day.

Customer segmentation

Business Travelers vs Leisure Customers: Who are who.

Conclusion