Loki

So, I posted a previous ticket pricing "scam" message about Travelocity and my grief continues. I don't like to be one o fthose people that calls anything I don't like a scam but listen to this: I searched ITA for flights to Vegas, 2 tickets, and it showed that USAir was priced at $318 each. I went to the USAirways.com website and the price came up at $356 each. I checked again for only one ticket and this time the price came up at $318 for one. I thought I was going nut and searched again for 2 and sure enough, $356 each. Now I figured it's quite possible that there is one seat left at $318 and the rest are $356, but then shouldn't I get one for $318? Then I thought maybe one is available for $318 and the next one is $394 so the site just averages them down to $356 each. If that was the case, I should be able to prove it by searching for 3 and the total should then jump by at least $394 but it didn't, only $356. So I called USAir to find out. They confirmed that there is one seat for $318 and subsequent seats are $356. How is it fair that they charge me the higher price for both tickets when I get 2? The rep told me, "that's the way the computer works". She indicated that 2 separate transactions can be performed for the different tickets to get one rate at 318 and one at 356, but how many people would just buy the 2 tickets without checking this? When you buy multiple tickets, do you always check what the price for one is first so you don't overpay? Think of this: you are a large family and need 6 tickets to Disney. You go to USairways.com and search for 6 tickets. You don't realize that 5 tickets are available for $200 and the sixth ticket is $250. The computer spits out a fare of $250 and charges you $250 for every ticket so you are overchaged by $50 x 5 tickets=$250. Do any of the agents on here know if all the airlines work like this? Do you always search for one ticket for your clients first and separate the transactions if you have to?

Dick

The poor airline is struggling and you think that managing the number of seats sold at a discount is a scam?.... That's not fair.

I think most airlines are like that....it's no secret.

Brian_in_Charlotte

I guess the lesson here is to always initially price an itinerary for one ticket and then price it for the number of tickets you really want to make sure you're really getting the best price.

Dan

Look up "scam" in the dictionary. This is not a scam. Geez. It's called yield management and all airlines and hotel companies do it.

JCE

That is no scam, it's business as usual.

FainaAgain

Same happened to me, for the same flight American Airline's website, flight operated by Alaska Airlines, and Alaska's website have $50 difference.

They give you the price before you finalize the purchase, and it's up to you - take it or leave it.

It's their general practice, and it doesn't always work in our (passengers) favor. The same as the produce sale "while supplies last".

Loki

Do you understand what I'm saying though? Passenger 57 costs $318. Passenger 58 costs $356. But if they buy their tickets together, the price increases, and passenger 59 can then get the cheaper ticket at 318. The yield is fixed but the timed distribution of the yield has changed based on the fact that they can't process 2 different ticket costs in one transaction. Even the USAir rep admitted it was a bug in the way the software views the transaction. That's different from the yield management algorithm. I'm not disputing the legitimacy of 2 different ticket costs, I'm picking up the tickets at my agent right now, one at 318, one at 356. If I used USAirways.com, I would have had to pay $38 more. The "scam" part is, if I didn't figure out the "system" I would have blindly paid more by trusting that the website was indeed giving me the cheapest price which is part of their guarantee.

MikeT

Loki, it appears that maybe you should use a travel agent to do this work since you keep finding scams around every corner.

If you want to save money and pinch pennies, you need to work at it. That's what you are learning from your online experiences.

tracys2cents

If the airline has one seat available at $318, and several more seats available at $550....and you call and ask for "two seats at the lowest possible fare", then yes I suppose it is sort of a scam when they tell you that the lowest possible is two seats at $550 each.

"Our computers can't really figure out the true lowest fare" isn't a very good excuse in my opinion.

Dick

Yes we understand....but you don't seem to understand that this isn't a scam.

"SCAM --- Slang. (n) A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle. To defraud."

FainaAgain

It may be programmed this way - one cheap seat, another expensive, so you can only get 2 cheap seats and 2 expensive.

I still don't get the "scam" part - if they tell you the price upfront, where is the scam? It's their seats, their price, you know it before you finalize.

travelinwifey

USAir does this as well as other airlines. When we flew to Orlando a few years ago a single ticket through America West was a little over $250 but when we priced 2 tickets the price went up to almost $400 per person. Because I wanted to be seated next to my husband I ended up paying the extra $$.

Anyway, I would also check united.com which code shares with USAir and often discounts cheaper prices for the same flight then vs usair.com. Sometimes they are a little higher too, but we have booked with united.com twice when they were lower than Usair direct.

kcapuani

I understand your point Loki - airlines have been pushing for customers to book online because it saves them money and yet you cannot be sure that you are getting the lowest fare without first doing some detective work. While I wouldn't call it a scam, I would say that the airline should be upfront about the advantages of booking two separate transactions for two tickets (just as it is upfront about stating that lower fares may be available on its website when you call the 1-800 #).

Yawn_boring

Recently we were buying tickets at Delta's web site. We reserved two, one for $198, the other using miles. Then we decided the rest of the family would come, so minutes later we went to reserve two more and they were $350 each!

However, I waited a week, only searching every other day, and one week later they were back down to $198!

GoTravel

Loki, ITA would have shown you that price for the one ticket left for $318. If you would have selected two passengers from ITA, you never would have shown you the one ticket for $318.

Maybe your just a little fedup with trying to purchase these tickets? Anyway, go to Vegas and have fun!

Loki

I did a search for 2 on ITA and they came up at 318. Then when I clicked on their passthrough link the price went up, so ITA doesn't apparently look hard at the QTY available.

I'm not fed up with the tickets, I'm fortunate that I rarely have to pay to fly, just thought I'd post some info for those who aren't as fortunate and to whom a $50 discount by knowing how the game is played makes a diffenece in their travel budgets.

I understand how people react to calling something a scam. Maybe it's not a scam, but I find it questionable to have "Lowest Price Guarantee" on their website when my TA can get it cheaper. I wish my company could get away with such claims...

MikeT

Loki, ask your customers. I'm betting they believe they are being scammed in one way or another.