‘Tis the season of flash airfare deals.
Yesterday jetBlue gave the world a “call your parents” reminder with their You Never Call, You Never Visit sale, which will help you score great deals on domestic flights until midnight tonight (Wednesday 5/2).
Now wallet-friendly travel app Hopper is taking the party global with their announcement of “Secret Fares,” a partnership with airlines on more than 60,000 international routes, with destinations that include Melbourne, Tokyo, Paris and more. They’re touting prices up to 35% off — or $500 cheaper — than the same ticket on other ticketing platforms, including the respective airlines’ own sites.
And this is no limited-time deal: Secret Fares looks to be a permanent fixture on the Hopper app, which you’ll have to download if you want access to the discounts.
So, uh, how the hell is this economically viable?
Per Lifehacker: “The discounts are exclusive because they’re part of a special partnership with airlines, a partnership that airlines are open to thanks to Hopper’s mobile-online platform. The idea is that if Delta lowers a flight on its site by $100, then American and United might see the discount and match it, starting a price war rather than [a] momentary bargain.”
There are currently flights available from most major U.S. airports, including JFK, SFO, LAX, ORD and DFW. Hopper is also in talks to bring similar deals to domestic routes, but for now the massive sales apply only to international fares.
Can’t say it’s a problem we’ll begrudge ‘em too much.
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