항공권 가격은 어떻게 정해질까?

[야크지기]

여행이 다시 빠르게 시작되고 있습니다! 기존의 노선들은 다시 준비를 시작하고, 새로운 노선들이 도입되며 다시 세상 속으로 떠날 여행자에게 좋은 소식이 속속 도착하고 있습니다. 하지만, 이렇듯 빠르게 회복되면서 항공권 구매 역시 매우 중요하다 말할 수 있죠. 어디로든지 떠나고 싶고, 낯선 여행지를 두려워하지 않는 여행객을 위한 항공권 딜은 많습니다. 날짜와 항공사, 출발 공항 및 도착 공항을 비교하고 살펴보다 보면 꼭 필요한 최고의 항공권을 발견할 수 있지요. 저희의 가격 변동 알림이나, ‘everywhere‘ 검색 기능, ‘한 달 전체‘ 비교와 함께라면 보다 쉽게 확인할 수 있습니다.

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항공권 가격을 어떻게 계산하나요?

요약하자면, 거리와 수요가 항공권 가격을 결정하는 가장 중요한 요소입니다. 여행도 다른 상품들과 마찬가지로 수요가 적다면 소비를 촉진하기 위해 가격도 낮아집니다 (말 나온 김에, 싱가포르 항공권 확인해볼까요?) 마찬가지로 수요가 높다면, 가격 역시 높아집니다.

하여 이를 위해 항공사에서는 항공권에 대해 가격 스케줄을 만들고, 일정 좌석을 가격 ‘버킷’ 속에 넣어둡니다. 이 버킷이 가득 차면, 더 비싼 가격에 다른 버킷을 오픈하게 되지요.

“항공권 가격 모델은 복잡합니다, 항공사의 이익을 유지하면서도 승객들이 지불할 의향이 있는 수준으로 가격을 낮게 유지해야 하기 때문이지요. 항공사는 그들의 특성(예를 들어 저비용 항공사인지 대형 항공사인지)과 일정, 객실 등급 등을 포함한 요소를 고려하여 복잡한 알고리즘을 만들고 이를 바탕으로 가격을 결정합니다. 여행자가 얼마까지 항공권에 지불할 것이냐도 관련이 있지만, 가장 중요한 것은 ‘수요’입니다”

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항공권 가격은 시즌에 따라 영향을 받나요?

코로나바이러스로 인한 판데믹 이전, 항공사들은 어느 정도 시즌성을 고려하여 소비자들이 감당할 수 있는 항공권 가격과 항공사의 이익의 균형을 맞춰 요금을 책정하였습니다. 항공권 가격은 수시로 변하였고, 마감 임박처럼 공급에 비해 수요가 넘치는 경우에는 평소에 예약하는 것보다 더 비쌌습니다.

하지만 판데믹은 항공사들이 가격을 결정하는 데에도 영향을 미쳤습니다. 시즌성보다는 여행 제한, 규제 완화 등이 더 큰 영향을 미치기 시작했기 때문이지요. 더 이상 구매 트렌드를 정확하게 파악하기 어려워졌습니다.

“아직 완전 ‘보통의’ 여행 트렌드로 돌아가지 못했지만, 판데믹 이전 2019년과 비슷한 트렌드 흐름이 시작됨을 확인할 수 있습니다. 여행에 대한 수요가 높아지고, 마스크를 쓰지 않아도 되는 항공사들이 늘어나고 있으며 많은 여행지가 홍보를 시작했으니까요. 그렇다면 항공권 가격 역시 2019년도 수준으로 돌아갈 것을 기대할 수 있습니다. 하지만, 예전처럼 돌아가고 있는 과정이므로, 최적의 항공권 가격을 알아내는 데에도 좀 더 많은 시간이 필요합니다.

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스카이스캐너의 VP of Strategy, Naomi Hahn이 전해주는 항공권 특가 찾는 꿀팁 4가지:

똑똑하게 가격 확인하기: 가격 변동 알림을 설정하면 가격이 하락했을 때 바로 확인할 수 있어 매우 유용합니다. 관심 있는 항공권 검색 후 ‘가격 변동 알림 받기’를 클릭하면 스카이스캐너에서 가격 변동이 있을 때마다 이메일로 알려드립니다.

금요일에 여행하기: 항공권 가격은 수요와 공급에 영향을 받습니다. 일부 날짜는 다른 날보다 더 인기가 많아 가격이 다양하지요. 평균적으로 금요일의 항공권은 최대 25% 저렴하고, 출발 4주 전 예약하면 최대 51% 저렴하게 됩니다. ‘한 달 전체’ 검색 기능을 이용해 최적의 항공권을 확인해보세요. 원래 계획하던 날보다 하루 이틀 전 먼저 떠나보는 것은 어떨까요? 수요가 적은 날은 항상 저렴합니다.

모든 옵션 고려하기: 2020년과 2021년에는 새로운 여행지를 발견할 수 있는 시기였습니다. 숨겨진 여행지에 볕이 든 것처럼 말이죠. ‘Everywhere’ 기능을 이용해 원하는 여행 날짜를 검색해보세요. 가격순으로 매력적인 여행지를 발견할 수 있습니다.

₩₩₩ 절약을 위한 믹스&매치: 패션에서만 믹스&매치가 적용되는 것은 아닙니다. 항공권에도 적용해보세요. 서로 다른 항공사를 이용해 출국, 귀국하거나 근처 다른 공항을 이용해 가격을 줄일 수도 있습니다. 항공사 포인트보다 더 큰 절약을 할 수도 있을 것입니다.

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How are airline ticket prices determined?

Travel is picking up speed again! Existing routes are starting to prepare again, new routes are being introduced, and good news is arriving one after another for travelers who are about to venture out into the world again. However, with such a rapid recovery, it can be said that purchasing airline tickets is also very important. There are many flight deals for travelers who want to go anywhere and are not afraid of unfamiliar destinations. Compare dates, airlines, departure and arrival airports to find the best flight deals for your needs. You can find out more easily with our price change alerts, ‘everywhere’ search function, and ‘entire month’ comparisons.

How do I calculate the ticket price?

In summary, distance and demand are the most important factors in determining airline ticket prices. For travel, like any other product, if demand is low, prices are lowered to encourage consumption. (Speaking of which, let's check out airline tickets to Singapore.) Similarly, if demand is high, prices also rise.

To achieve this, airlines create price schedules for airline tickets and place certain seats in price ‘buckets.’ When this bucket is full, another bucket is opened at a higher price.

“The ticket pricing model is complex, as you have to keep prices low at a level that passengers are willing to pay while maintaining profits for the airline. Airlines take into account factors including their characteristics (e.g. whether they are a low-cost airline or a large airline), schedules, cabin classes, etc., and create complex algorithms to determine prices based on these. How much a traveler is willing to pay for a ticket is also relevant, but the most important thing is ‘demand.’”

Are ticket prices affected by the season?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, airlines took into account seasonality to some extent and set fares by balancing ticket prices that consumers could afford and the airline's profits. Airline ticket prices changed frequently, and when demand exceeded supply, such as when a deadline was imminent, it was more expensive than usual.

But the pandemic has also affected airlines' pricing decisions. This is because travel restrictions and easing of regulations are starting to have a greater impact than seasonality. It is no longer difficult to accurately identify purchasing trends.

“Although we have not yet completely returned to ‘normal’ travel trends, we can confirm‎ that a trend trend similar to 2019 before the pandemic has begun. Demand for travel is rising, more airlines are starting to promote mask-earing requirements, and many travel destinations are starting to promote it. If so, we can expect air ticket prices to return to 2019 levels as well. However, since it is a business as usual, it will take more time to figure out the best ticket price.

4 tips for finding great flight deals from Naomi Hahn, Skyscanner's VP of Strategy:

Stay smart about prices: Setting up price change alerts is very useful as it lets you see when the price drops. After searching for the flight you are interested in, click ‘Receive price change notifications’ and Skyscanner will notify you by email whenever there is a price change.

Travel on Friday: Airline ticket prices are influenced by supply and demand. Some dates are more popular than others, so prices vary. On average, flights on Fridays can be up to 25% cheaper, and up to 51% cheaper if you book 4 weeks before departure. Use the ‘whole month’ search function to find the best flight deals. How about leaving a day or two earlier than you originally planned? Low demand days are always cheaper.

Consider all your options: 2020 and 2021 have been all about discovering new travel destinations. As if the sun shines on a hidden travel destination. Use the ‘Everywhere’ function to search for your desired travel date. You can discover attractive travel destinations in price order.

₩₩ Mix and match to save: Mix and match isn't just about fashion. Apply this to airline tickets as well. You can also reduce prices by using different airlines to depart and return, or by using other nearby airports. You may be able to save more than airline points.

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