Airlines cut deals for students, faculty; cheap fares help ease economic crunch
Casey Cheney
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Beyond
Any college student more than a few hours' drive from home faces the difficult decision of when to go home during the semester, if at all. High travel expenses and ever-changing schedules make it difficult for students to find a way home (or wherever else they may travel).
STA Travel and StudentUniverse are here to help solve that problem.
These two companies provide college students and faculty with discounted airfare and allow greater flexibility when scheduling flights.
"We mainly cater to three specific groups," said STA Travel Marketing Communications Coordinator Patrick Evans.
Evans said these three groups are college students, all levels of teachers, and any non-student under 26 years old.
STA Travels gets good deals when airlines find themselves stuck with extra seats, he said. STA negotiates with the airlines to buy up the extra seats for a lower price, then turns around and sells them to students at a discounted rate.
How big of a discount?
"It varies pretty widely," Evans said.
He said it depends on how many seats are available. If airlines have a large block of extra seats, they negotiate the tickets for cheaper.
He said the best time to find cheap tickets is during a downturn in the economy. As fewer people buy seats, there is a greater surplus, allowing STA to purchase and sell the tickets for less.
Atle Skalleberg, head of research and marketing at StudentUniverse, said that according to a survey, StudentUniverse averages a 14 percent discount.
"You can fly on most major airlines at a discounted airfare," said Skalleberg.
He said StudentUniverse deals with 30 major airlines. These airlines view these discounted prices as an opportunity to draw more business when the students graduate from college and enter the business world.
If flexibility is a must, Evans recommended that students purchase the STA exclusive Blue Ticket, which is more convenient for schedule changes.
STA Travel and StudentUniverse are here to help solve that problem.
These two companies provide college students and faculty with discounted airfare and allow greater flexibility when scheduling flights.
"We mainly cater to three specific groups," said STA Travel Marketing Communications Coordinator Patrick Evans.
Evans said these three groups are college students, all levels of teachers, and any non-student under 26 years old.
STA Travels gets good deals when airlines find themselves stuck with extra seats, he said. STA negotiates with the airlines to buy up the extra seats for a lower price, then turns around and sells them to students at a discounted rate.
How big of a discount?
"It varies pretty widely," Evans said.
He said it depends on how many seats are available. If airlines have a large block of extra seats, they negotiate the tickets for cheaper.
He said the best time to find cheap tickets is during a downturn in the economy. As fewer people buy seats, there is a greater surplus, allowing STA to purchase and sell the tickets for less.
Atle Skalleberg, head of research and marketing at StudentUniverse, said that according to a survey, StudentUniverse averages a 14 percent discount.
"You can fly on most major airlines at a discounted airfare," said Skalleberg.
He said StudentUniverse deals with 30 major airlines. These airlines view these discounted prices as an opportunity to draw more business when the students graduate from college and enter the business world.
If flexibility is a must, Evans recommended that students purchase the STA exclusive Blue Ticket, which is more convenient for schedule changes.
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