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Comment by johansch | Hacker News Reader

Really? What kind of international flights (src/dst/airline) have you seen being undersold the last five years or so? (I have seen so many flights that have been kinda the opposite. It was markedly different back in like 2008-2013.)

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Not parent, but Oman Air Paris to Muscat leg has been ~50% full at the most the last 3 times I took it. They're a top notch airline, flying Boeing 787, and their Muscat to final destination leg has always been full (same as the Muscat to Paris return flight), so I can't figure out why other than "I've been lucky" when the likes of Emirates/Etihad/Qatar Airways/... are full as can be.

Picture from my mid-May flight after closed doors: http://imgur.com/a/8ikMP

I just did Bangkok to Muscat on Oman and the fight was amazingly empty. We were on a 787 and I'd guess we had about a third to half the seats booked.

Combined with their decently low price, recent fleet and good services, they're really becoming one of my favorite airlines for EU->Asia. Now if only muscat airport could be a bit better ...

You do realise they won't be around for much longer if their flights are half-empty?

Given that it's owned by the Government of Oman, which is in charge of a "high income economy", it's probably pretty safe.

I don't think it is necessarily that they are undersold, although I am sure many are, but the rate at which people change or cancel flights is quite high and international flights are harder to oversell for various reasons.

I've been on two Moscow-Tokyo flights (Aeroflot) that were less than one third full.

I've been on a couple of intercontinental flights using Etihad, Swissair, Lufthanza and British Airways between Europe and Asia, most of which were not fully filled for the long legs between major hubs.

I've also seen a few full flights, so I guess it depends on luck and the seasons.

Last two years:

AT: CMN <-> BER, CMN <-> FRA

HV: AGA <-> AMS

KL: AMS -> CUR

AR: EZE -> MAD

I prefer to fly Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and unless it's some holiday coming up at the destination I usually have the whole row for myself.

LHR <-> IAD

IAH <-> LHR

IAH <-> DXB

DXB <-> PER

I flew DXB-PER return about 5 times in the last 12 months and only once did I get it undersold. And I have no idea why that happened. Wish I remember which trip it was now, have to see if I can find a photo of me laying down across 4 seats!

In mid-late April this year, I flew with Delta from Minneapolis to Tokyo Haneda and the flight was around 70% full in Economy - I was the only one in my row, and the row ahead was empty (by row I mean a set of three seats; I don't know the phrase for that).

The way back was pretty full though (middle of Golden Week for Japan). I must have been pretty lucky for the trip there!

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