MCI strives to offer realistic base air estimates to groups in proposals but due to the dynamic nature of airline costs, a prediction that is accurate today, can change tomorrow. The sooner a group locks in its air by a $100.00 per person air deposit, the more assured they are of successfully securing in-budget air.

Groups interested in purchasing price and keeping costs low would be wise to consider the following:

1. Traveling internationally on weekends often involves weekend surcharges for travel on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Avoiding these days can save $25.00 - $50.00 per person that can be better utilized elsewhere.
2. Groups hoping to travel on a lower budget should always avoid travel on holidays. Airlines frequently raise fares when demand is heavy and demand is always heavy when potential customers have paid time off from work.
3. Seasonality for group travel now includes school break periods in the peak or high season vs. shoulder where they were set in the “good old days.”
4. Traveling domestically sometimes requires overstaying a Saturday night in order to secure the lower fare levels.
5. On transcontinental domestic flights, red-eye options sometimes can provide substantial savings and get your groups to their destinations with more time to spend sightseeing prior to their hotel check in. (Groups that arrive earlier are normally restricted from checking into their hotel earlier due to housekeeping issues at hotel properties.)
6. The air department works with deviators individually to fulfill their needs for customized itineraries for a service fee of $100.00 per person plus the cost of additional airfare involved in the new itinerary.
7. The sooner a group provides sufficient funds to cover air deposits, the more scheduling options they will likely have available to them.
8. After contract acceptance, changes to dates or itineraries can incur additional cost and are best avoided whenever possible.
9. Inflating group numbers in order to reduce land costs can increase air costs and negate savings depending upon the market and space availability. Market driven pricing allows airlines to change fare levels automatically with a key stroke, if demand is high.

Groups who are adamant about traveling on fixed dates without flexibility will likely be paying a higher fare for that privilege. In essence, each group decides to buy either price or schedule and should be counseled early on to consider whether they are more interested in price or schedule, because it is likely that both may not be simultaneously available.