Negotiated fare

A negotiated fare or a private fare is a discounted price for airline seats that is not publicly available online, whether on airline websites or online travel agencies (OTAs). Air consolidators get these concealed fares from airlines, add a markup, and sell them to retailers (travel agents).

These fares are often marketed in ways that emphasize their affordability without explicitly stating the price, such as “best prices” or “cheapest” tickets. They may be as part of a package deal or offered through direct communication channels like phone sales.

Negotiated fares have certain trade-offs:

• higher cancellation penalties compared to publicly available fares,
• loyalty program issues like no miles accumulation or limited eligibility for upgrades, and
• a range of restrictions, such as being nonrefundable, non-exchangeable, or having limited flexibility regarding travel dates and times.

Despite these drawbacks, negotiated fares offer significant savings on international flights, business/first-class seats, last-minute purchases, and one-way tickets.