"This week, the second phase of ticket sales for the 2018 World Cup matches began. We're seeing that the rush has extended to flights as well. Flying to Moscow from St. Petersburg for the final match costs 40% more than usual—10,370 rubles versus the usual 6,000. Tickets from Yekaterinburg “Tickets are going up by 5%, the price increase is already noticeable on flights from Sochi (+14%),” he said.
According to the expert, a similar trend is observed for other destinations. "The semifinal match in St. Petersburg will cost Muscovites 411 TP3T more, fans from Ufa will have to add 441 TP3T to the standard ticket price, while a flight from Simferopol to St. Petersburg will increase by "only" 71 TP3T, from 17,000 to 18,000 rubles for a roundtrip," added Ya. Dzenis.
Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Sochi, and Samara are also joining the capital cities. "While tickets from Moscow to Samara for the quarterfinals on July 7 are only one percent more expensive (7,798 rubles), a flight to Kazan costs a fifth of the average monthly salary. For the key games of the 2018 World Cup, the cost of a flight on this route increases by 421 rubles, reaching 9,058 rubles," Aviasales reported.
A similar situation, according to the search engine, was observed during the Confederations Cup. On the day of the final match in St. Petersburg, the average ticket price for flights from Moscow increased to 20,100 rubles (an increase of 53%), and the number of searches increased by 30%. Moreover, demand for tickets on match days increased significantly compared to regular dates. "Usually, more than half of the tickets are sold within a week of departure, but now, more than six months before the 2018 World Cup, we are already seeing the first bookings," noted Anton Baytsur, Vice President of Product.
Aviasales emphasized that you can find great deals on tickets using bots for popular messaging apps. "Prices are constantly changing, and to avoid constantly refreshing the site, we recommend subscribing to the desired destination. As soon as a suitable discount appears, you'll be notified immediately," added A. Baitsur.
Fans will also find the low-fare calendar useful, which summarizes all fares for the year ahead. It can help you save up to half the cost of a ticket by offering slightly earlier or later departure dates.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru