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Shopping Cards - the next step
On 25 Jul 2004 21:11:23 GMT, wrote:
>"<RJ>" > wrote:
>
>> EGAD !!
>
>> Airlines have been doing this forever.
>
>> I'm sure that no two passengers pay the same price for tickets.
>
>Hah! Just last night, a friend of mine told me an experience he
>had a few days ago at his employer's on-site travel agency. My
>friend stopped by to get pricing on an airline ticket to attend
>a conference. The price was around $200 which is typical for
>that route (Philadelphia to Las Vegas). My friend was not 100%
>sure if he wanted that flight time so he asked if the flight
>was heavily book. The agent said the flight was only about half
>full so my friend left and came back the next morning. By then,
>the exact same round trip tickets were $800. My friend asked
>the agent if the flight had suddenly booked up, but it was still
>only about half full. As a result, my friend ended up booking a
>much less convenient flight. Airline ticket pricing is truly
>insane, and people complain about grocery store loyalty cards.
There is method to the madness, though. The airlines know their
routes, demands and schedules well. They allot a certain number of
"cheap" tickets for a flight knowing that it is the average for
otherwise unsold tickets for that particular date/time/destination.
When the cheapies are gone, the pricier tickets remain. As it gets
much closer to flight time, and if it appears that a few seats could
go empty, then a few more cheap tickets will be released to the public
or to wholesalers.
Boron
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