FAQ

Huntsville Hot Ticket is the easy way to find the lowest fares and book tickets for flights from Huntsville International Airport to your favorite cities.

Trusty is a nose-to-the-ground, low-fares scout who loves to travel and knows how to sniff out the best deals for our Huntsville Hot Ticket members.

Members receive fare alert emails with the hottest air fares from Huntsville International Airport and are automatically signed up for any contests that Huntsville Hot Ticket runs. In the past Trusty, HHT and Huntsville International Airport have given away such great prizes as free airline tickets, weekend getaways, and much, much more. All you have to do to be eligible is join!

Only registered members of HHT are eligible to win the cool giveaways, which sometimes are for free air travel!

The short answer is, “Yes, your information is kept private. Customer and visitor information will not be shared or distributed.” The more detailed answer is found in our privacy policy.

We send email alerts about twice a month to keep you up-to-date on the latest fares and to help you track trends to your favorite destinations.

Fares listed on www.huntsvillehotticket.com are updated throughout the day and you can check those as often as you like.

The fares we list in the email newsletters may include fare sales and can be very time sensitive. The airlines update, change, and delete these fares up to three times a day. Because they may be limited in availability, fare sale seats tend to sell out quickly.

It’s easy. Go to our “Join” page, give us your name and email address. If you want to be eligible for the great giveaways, you’ll need to include your mailing address, too.

Some giveaway items can be mailed, saving winners a trip to the airport.

This is a free service that helps you book the fare.

No.

It’s a free information and ticket booking 
service provided through Huntsville International Airport. Seems like these days customer service has gone by the wayside. We don’t think that’s the way it should be. If you need help from a real person with questions about booking a ticket, group travel, or the latest rules and regulations, our Hot Line (256-258-1944) connects you directly with a travel specialist who is happy to help.

The reason behind the higher average airfare prices to/from HSV is multifaceted. Outlined below are the numerous variables that interweave and impact airfares. Huntsville International Airport staff work very hard to ensure that air travel is safe and secure as well as to serve the community by doing our part to influence affordable and plentiful air service options.

The Airport’s latest initiative to secure more reasonable air fares involves applying for a Small Community Air Service Development grant funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Airport is asking the DOT for $1.5 million dollars – a mere fraction of the total revenue guarantee it would take to bring a low-fare carrier to HSV in this economy given that the airline industry is not expanding. The DOT will announce the grant recipients in December 2009. A total of 84 applicants are seeking $34 million, and the DOT has only $8 to distribute.

The Airport has invested a tremendous amount of time, effort, and incentives throughout the years in an effort to provide the community with competitive air fares, but ultimately, the key component to sustainable, low-fare service is the community’s support of a new low-cost carrier. As was the case with Independence Air and Allegiant Air, both low-fare carriers came into the HSV market and helped to drive fares down among all our carriers for those destinations. However, the public continued to fly on their legacy carrier instead of making the choice to fly on the low-fare carrier. We can work extremely hard to bring a low-fare carrier to HSV and help drive down the cost, but again, ultimately if the community does not support the low-fare carrier, the carrier will be forced to leave, once again driving up the fares overall. It’s truly the old adage of “You don’t use it, you lose it.” That is why we need the community to pledge to support the carrier that brings the lower fares – go to www.wewantlowfares.com.

Variables Affecting Airfare

1. High Volume Business Traveler Airport – Huntsville International Airport is approximately a 68% business traveler airport and only 32% leisure travelers. With such a high percentage of business travelers, most of these travelers purchase airline tickets with little advance purchase. Typically a 21-day day advance purchase is recommended to find the best available rates. Many of HSV’s business travelers are often have to fly at a moment’s notice, resulting in a higher fare, thus driving up the average airfare for HSV. The airlines are well educated with the HSV market and our high percentage of business travelers, and they ultimately charge what the market will bear. This is supply and demand.
2. Absence of Low-fare Carrier Competition – Huntsville International Airport currently does not have a low-fare carrier. Both Independence Air and Allegiant Air were great additions to our market as they helped drive the average airfare down for the other commercial carriers serving HSV. While Independence Air went into bankruptcy, the community did not support Allegiant Air long term, causing them to pull their resources out of our market. Both Nashville and Birmingham have Southwest Airlines, which helps create healthy competition among the other airlines as far as pricing is concerned. Southwest already serves our region as we lose a tremendous amount of passengers every year that drive to Nashville or Birmingham for cheaper fares. Since Southwest is getting our passengers via Nashville and Birmingham, they are not inticed to make any investment in our community by providing service. Therefore, our number one goal on the air service development side is to attract a low-fare carrier to HSV and ultimately create that same healthy competition among carriers here at our airport. But it is tough in this environment with the airline industry in such peril. They all want large incentives to serve a community. As detailed above, we are working to try and secure a $1.5 million grant for our air service development program that would help attract a low-fare carrier.
3. Reduced Capacity – Nationwide, the airlines have significantly cut capacity due to loss of revenue during this economic downturn. While some airports have lost as much as 20% capacity, HSV has fared better; however, fewer available seats means there is a greater demand for those seats, and the airlines can charge a premium because they are aware that those seats are in such high demand. It’s the economics rule of supply and demand. Fortunately, we do see that the planned capacity cuts are leveling off for HSV. To give you an idea, for the month of December 2009, HSV has little over 33,000 seats per week (enplaned and deplaned passengers) whereas Birmingham had more than 80,000 per week and Nashville has 230,000. With more seats available in our competing markets, the airlines are able to price more competitively.
4. “Setting the Fares:” Airlines vs. Airports – There is a misconception with the public that airports set fares. An airport has no control over fares, which are set by the airlines. However, at the same time, we work very hard to try and “influence” the airlines to offer lower fares through incentive programs. These programs include waiving airline operating costs and funding advertising programs in the community to promote the airline, etc. We offer these incentive programs not only to existing carriers but also to potential new carriers. Contrary to public misconception, airport costs are less than 5% of airline operating costs. So if HSV allowed the airlines to operate for free, which we do at times, as an incentive such as those mentioned above, the average one-way fare at HSV would be lowered by $9.74. HSV is a public corporation. Airports don’t receive any financial benefit from varying fares charged to passengers. Airport fees have no correlation to airline fares – they charge what the market will bear.