Lock in flight prices one year in advance with this French app
‘Frozen’ tickets keep costs capped whilst allowing customers to benefit from cheaper rate if they fall
The flexible tickets allow passengers to book now and pay later
oobqoo/Shutterstock
A French flight comparison website has introduced an innovative option – the ability to ‘freeze’ flight prices for up to 12 months.
Passengers who use the service offered by MisterFly, a specialist in online travel sales, pay a fixed sum to lock in the current price of a ticket on a selected route, without having to pay the full cost.
This is then available to the consumer for up to 12 months (or six to nine months for low-cost carriers) on the selected day.
If the price increases during this time, they will still only have to pay the price they ‘locked in’ – if the price decreases, they pay the lower price.
It is possible to cancel the journey any point up to 10 days before the scheduled departure.
The company estimates passengers can save between 30% and 50% by using the service.
How much does it cost – and who can use it?
The fixed fee to use the service depends on three criteria: the route, the airline, and the travel period.
Busy routes in the high season will see higher premiums to use the service, whereas less busy destinations will see lower fixed rates.
One example highlighted by French media is a return trip between Paris and Porto with Iberian flag carrier TAP Air Portugal in September.
A September flight currently shows at €150 which could rise significantly in the coming months. The ‘freeze’ option locks in this price for a payment of €32 now, with the balance plus a small fee payable when the traveller decides definitely they will take the trip.
The freeze fee is non-refundable if they do not take up the option.
Currently, the service is only available to members of Veepee, a French e-commerce company which organises online flash sales (and is free to sign up to).
A wider rollout with several other companies that use the ‘Digitrips’ booking system is expected in due course.
This includes Carrefour Voyages, Cdiscount and Aéroports de Paris, which manages France’s largest airports.
Cost of tickets soar
It comes as the aviation industry in France faces a period of turbulence likely to see prices rise even further.
Ticket prices already rose 15% between 2019 and 2023 according to France’s Civil Aviation Authority, however new airline taxes introduced in the 2024 budget have seen taxes for a seat on a flight departing France for a European country increase by around €5, higher for longer routes.
This tax increase can be – and in most cases has been – added directly to the cost of the ticket price for passengers. This is additional to any other increases already planned / in place.
Read more: Low-cost airline to charge passengers extra tax on already booked French flights
The increase has led to low-cost carrier Ryanair withdrawing from at least one regional French airport.
Read more: Ryanair to withdraw from airport in north of France
