Fixed departure flights are flights on pre-determined dates for which a tour operator, consolidator or wholesaler has already secured seats, so the seats can be sold with confirmation from day one. They may be sold as part of a tour package (flight plus hotel, transfers and sightseeing) or as flight-only seats to travel agents.
The "fixed" part is the date. The traveller cannot choose any day they like; they pick from the departures the supplier has committed to.
Where fixed departures come from
A fixed departure usually starts with a tour programme. An operator plans, for example, a set of holiday tours leaving on specific dates across the season. To sell those tours confidently it needs air seats on each date, so it secures an allotment or block from the airline for those departures.
Consolidators also create fixed departures without the tour element. They take seats on high-demand dates - long weekends, festivals, school holidays - and sell them flight-only to agents. In some markets "fixed departure" is used almost interchangeably with series or group inventory on peak dates.
Package fixed departures versus flight-only
The two often coexist. An operator that cannot fill a tour departure may release some of its air seats as flight-only inventory to agents rather than return them to the airline.
| Aspect | Package fixed departure | Flight-only fixed departure |
|---|---|---|
| What is sold | Flights plus land arrangements | Air seats alone |
| Typical seller | Tour operator, DMC | Consolidator, wholesaler, tour operator selling spare seats |
| Pricing basis | Air cost plus land cost plus margin, per person | Net seat cost plus margin |
| Buyer | Travel agents and their holiday customers | Travel agents with individual travellers |
| Main risk | Unsold packages leave both air and land costs | Unsold seats near release |
How a fixed departure is priced
The air component starts from the net seat cost agreed with the airline. For a package, the operator adds hotel, transport and service costs, then a margin. For flight-only, the supplier adds margin directly to the net seat cost to produce an agent fare.
Pricing tends to be set early and adjusted carefully, because agents quote customers well in advance. Late discounting is used to clear seats, but frequent price changes can annoy agents who have already sold at the earlier price.
Illustrative example: an operator holds 35 seats on a tour departure. Six weeks out, 24 tour places are sold. It keeps the tour open at the full price but releases five seats as flight-only inventory to agents. The remaining six stay protected for late tour bookings until the airline release date.
What the travel agent sees
From the agent's side a fixed departure looks like a list: date, flight, seats available, price, baggage, and a booking deadline. The agent books seats, supplies names and pays to the supplier's terms. Ticket issuance is typically handled by the supplier.
Agents should treat the dates as truly fixed. Changes to another date are often impossible or treated as a new booking, and refund options are limited because the supplier has already paid or committed for the seat.
Operational deadlines
Each of these can fall on a different date, and an operator running many departures has deadlines falling almost daily during peak season.
- Sales cut-off - the last day the supplier accepts bookings for a departure.
- Name submission - names must reach the airline by the contractual deadline.
- Release - unused seats returned before the airline cut-off.
- Final documents - tickets and, for packages, vouchers issued to agents before travel.
Publishing fixed departures to agents
Fixed departures sell best when agents can see current seat counts without asking. EazyPNR lets suppliers list fixed departure seats for their agent network to book directly; the fixed departure flights page shows how. Tour operators may also find how tour operators manage fixed departure seats useful.
Key takeaways
- Fixed departure flights are pre-held seats on set dates, sold with confirmation.
- They can be part of a tour package or sold flight-only to agents.
- Pricing starts from the net seat cost and is usually set early.
- Dates are fixed, and change and refund options are usually limited.
Frequently asked questions
Are fixed departures charter flights?
Not usually. Most fixed departures use seats on regular scheduled flights, held under an allotment or block.
Can an agent sell fixed departure seats without the package?
Only if the supplier offers them flight-only. Many operators do this for spare seats.
What happens if a fixed departure tour does not fill?
The operator may sell the spare air seats flight-only, merge departures where possible or release seats before the airline deadline, depending on its contracts.