Domestic airfare varies more by route and airline type than booking timing

{
"What the study found": "South Africa’s domestic airfares showed substantial variation, with a mean fare of USD 86.92. The study found that low-cost carriers offered lower fares per kilometre than full-service carriers, and that shorter routes had higher costs per kilometre.",
"Why the authors say this matters": "The authors conclude that structural and competitive factors, rather than booking timing, shape domestic airfare behaviour. They say the study offers insight relevant to pricing strategy, policy considerations, and consumer decision-making.",
"What the researchers tested": "The researchers analysed 2,277 published fares across five airlines and three major routes in South Africa’s domestic market. They used a quantitative longitudinal design and applied descriptive statistics, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple regression to compare fare structures by airline type, route distance, and booking horizon.",
"What worked and what didn't": "Distance and airline type explained a meaningful portion of the variation in airfares. Booking horizon had minimal influence, and full-service carriers showed greater fare volatility than low-cost carriers.",
"What to keep in mind": "The study is limited to published fares from five airlines and three major routes in South Africa’s domestic market. The abstract does not describe additional limitations beyond this scope."
}

Key points

• The mean domestic airfare in the study was USD 86.92.
• Low-cost carriers offered lower fares per kilometre than full-service carriers.
• Shorter routes had higher costs per kilometre.
• Distance and airline type explained a meaningful portion of airfare variation.
• Booking horizon had minimal influence on airfare levels.