The Myth of "The best day to buy cheap airline tickets"

Those so-called "experts" keep coming up with new ideas supported by dubious facts about what is the best day to buy tickets on the cheap.  Wednesday? That is so out.  Tuesday? That came after Wednesday, or was it before?  The latest claim by clueless reporters is Sunday!   Citing faulty airline data of average price per ticket and other factors, those "experts" are trying to handicap the airlines' complex pricing models.  The truth is that the best day to buy the cheapest ticket depends on so many complex factors that includes among other things: Seasonality, competition, capacity, shifting routes and schedules, frequency and so on.  Add to all that some irrational randomness in pricing followed by airlines matching each other, you have the rubik's cube of pricing that pundits and experts are trying to divine.  These articles published from time to time make for entertaining reading but are otherwise devoid from any facts.  In conclusion, the best day to buy a ticket is when you like the price. www.premieretravel.com

Jet Fuel Cost Goes Down, But Airlines Increase Fares and Maintain Fuel Surcharge

Well, may be Southwest went along the "successful" fare increase so they can slap colorful hearts on their freshly painted 737's.  Delta started the fare increase signalling Thursday October 16.  By Friday the 17th, Southwest aggressively matched  Delta which was then copied by almost all airlines.
Southwest has transformed itself to act like a legacy carrier.  The once proud discount carrier with friendly service now resembles all others. What is really puzzling about this latest fare increase is that fuel costs have gone down dramatically over the past 3 months, down about 25%.  International airlines, with the DOT's blessing or looking the other way, have maintained the "Fuel Surcharge" that was implemented when fuel prices were above where we are now.  www.premieretravel.com

Ebola's Big Impact on Travel

The U.S. government as well as the European Union are scrambling to contain the Ebola virus which has now begun to show up in the U.S. and Europe.  As of now, there is no clear plan or strategy of how to deal with travel restrictions from affected areas in west Africa.  Limits on non-stop flights will not work as most travelers from west Africa transit or stop through Europe.  The symptoms of the virus may not show until well after the travel has taken place as was the case with the Liberian man arriving in Dallas and initially released only to be diagnosed later.  While there are no easy solutions, travelers must take precautions on their own and might consider avoiding travel to the affected areas. www.premieretravel.com

Update October 8: DHS is taking "new measures".  DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said agents would observe all travelers for "general signs of illness"...and that DHS is taking a"layered approach..."  These measures will create more questions than answers.  What training or qualifications do agents have to identify people with illness (ebola) if the symptoms are not showing? What happens if they do identify people with symptoms?....