When ultra-low-budget airlines like Ryanair and Spirt Airlines were introduced to the aviation market, it forced older, more established airlines to rethink their pricing formulae or bleed customers. The competition between airlines has benefitted the consumer, and we’re seeing lower ticket prices than ever before, even though operational costs have increased.

Recently, a deal popped up that would surprise even the most thrifty of travelers. An airline is offering two-hour flights for a mind-boggling price of €11 ($12). The first question would be, which budget airline is it? But it isn’t a budget airline. It’s British Airways, one of the oldest airlines in existence.

The deal in question

On December 17th, a British Airlines flight will depart from San Sebastian (EAS) to London (LCY) at 16:55 local time. The trip will take just 1 hour and 45 minutes and cover 572 miles (921 km). Seats on this flight were available at a starting price of £10 ($12). The fare is possibly the lowest in modern history. Passengers are more likely to spend more on the cab to the airport.

What’s even more surprising is that the fare is available in December, when air traffic is at its highest, and airlines don’t need to compromise on price. There’s a catch, though: the deal was for one-way tickets only. Return fares are usually upwards of £250 ($312), which means passengers have to gamble and hope that the ticket for the flight back is cheap as well. But bear in mind that it is the holiday season, and ticket prices will only increase.

Photo: ba.com
 

Why the low fare

The low fare could have been motivated by a variety of factors. It could simply have been an error fare. We recently saw China Southern saying that it would honor fares accidentally sold for $1.50. The fare on this route typically starts at around €90 ($98.36) for a one-way flight.

It seems more likely that British Airways is trying to encourage passengers to book on days when the number of tickets sold is far lower. Given that the cost on Sunday has now risen to €75, it would also seem that these fares are "grab them while you can" and will increase once a few more have been sold.