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Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

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Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#51

Post by thaumasiotes »

markdown wrote: post #37
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #8

In the states, the more I deal with cellular companies and airlines, the more I hate them. It's not just me: it's a common opinion. One prominent business magazine had a cover a few years back titled something like "The companies we all hate" Consumers like to purchase things in atomic units and simple terms. If I go to the grocery store, there's a bushel of apples. The sign says "Granny Smith apples: $1" I can confi…

This doesn't take away from your point at all, but I just wanted to point out that: > I can confidently pick up an apple, walk to the register, and expect to pay a dollar. This is true in most of the world, but not in the US, where you don't know what you're paying until you reach the checkout counter.

Well, you can weigh the apple yourself on the scales that occur all throughout the produce section... but yeah, I'd be surprised to see a flat rate for fruit by species no matter the size.

Fruit is sold by weight, not count, in China too.

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#52

Post by monksy »

gcb0 wrote: post #44
saryant wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering airfares are the cheapest they've ever been in the US, I don't know how that's even remotely true. More of "the masses" are able to fly than ever before.

it's not cheap because the system works. it's cheaper because more and more jobs require constant travel so they have much more of the good predative revenue. for example at work I've never seen a 300 mile trip for less than 350. ever. let alone the la-Chicago for 100 they mention in the article. that would look like a bug in my employee's booking system. what they get from the rest is just icing. so, convince yourse…

You're not looking very hard, and you're seeing discount hub connections. It's incredibly easy to get a 600$+ ticket for that many miles. [I'm not talking about business or first class tickets.] The cheapest you can go is about $60 on advanced LA-SFO OW tickets. (Outside of Southwest or the discount flights).

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#53

Post by monksy »

phantom784 wrote: post #10
michaelochurch wrote: post #3

"We did that Uber shit before it was cool." -- The airlines. Another thing that surprises most people is how expensive business and first class are, relative to coach. After all, if you're only getting 1.5-2x as much space, it doesn't seem fair that you'd have to pay 10x prices. The truth is that many of those seats are filled via upgrades to frequent fliers and more fairly priced in that view. But someone who asks f…

People buy first class tickets just for the lounges? Usually, you can just pay $30 or so for a day pass to a lounge.

Lounge tickets are valued at about $25, because thats where the market puts them at. The lounges charge $50 or better at the door.

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#54

Post by endeavour »

chrisseaton wrote: post #21
spdustin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um... All airports with United or American lounges? It's $50 a day, though. With American, they actively try to sell you a day pass on their in-airport check-in terminals. Edit: please don't correct actual life experience with a quote from Wikipedia. United Club is the name of their "first class" lounge, as people incorrectly refer to them. Those United Club Lounges have complimentary booze [1]. And no airline is goi…

That's United Club - that's not the first class lounge at all. If you read the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Club it says you can buy access to United Club, but doesn't say that about the first class lounge. In fact it says: "the access rules are significantly more restrictive than for United Club. Access to Global First Lounges is generally restricted to United Global First passengers, Star Alli…

Why has this been downvoted?

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#55

Post by monksy »

chrisseaton wrote: post #21
spdustin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um... All airports with United or American lounges? It's $50 a day, though. With American, they actively try to sell you a day pass on their in-airport check-in terminals. Edit: please don't correct actual life experience with a quote from Wikipedia. United Club is the name of their "first class" lounge, as people incorrectly refer to them. Those United Club Lounges have complimentary booze [1]. And no airline is goi…

That's United Club - that's not the first class lounge at all. If you read the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Club it says you can buy access to United Club, but doesn't say that about the first class lounge. In fact it says: "the access rules are significantly more restrictive than for United Club. Access to Global First Lounges is generally restricted to United Global First passengers, Star Alli…

That's because they're a huge international airline and they have to keep things kosher.

GS is a special invite status reserved for celebrities and high ranking politicians. My assumption is that they need that space so that they can load the person from the tarmac or have them check out of the airport. Thats speculation, but those individuals do have different needs from an airline. [Also onboarding needs as well as that they don't enter from the jetway]

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#56

Post by Someone1234 »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #51
markdown wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't take away from your point at all, but I just wanted to point out that: > I can confidently pick up an apple, walk to the register, and expect to pay a dollar. This is true in most of the world, but not in the US, where you don't know what you're paying until you reach the checkout counter.

Well, you can weigh the apple yourself on the scales that occur all throughout the produce section... but yeah, I'd be surprised to see a flat rate for fruit by species no matter the size. Fruit is sold by weight, not count, in China too.

That wasn't their point.

In most of the world if a product's price tag says X then you pay exactly X at the register (e.g. £2 sandwich costs exactly £2 in cash, you hand then exactly £2 and leave).

In the US that is not the case. Almost everything has a "hidden fee." You go buy a $2 sandwich but pay $2 + 6% ($2.12), if you get food in a restaurant you pay $price + 15-20%, an advertised $30/month cell phone plan is actually $45 after "taxes and fees," and so on...

Within Europe/EU in particular these types of hidden fees are actively combatted. Just within the last few years a few airlines (e.g. Easyjet) got into trouble for charging both a credit card or debit card fee (approx. £3-5) which wasn't reasonably avoidable and wasn't mentioned in their adverts.

The US in general is rather consumer hostile on the grounds of "business freedom."

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#57

Post by monksy »

jcfiala wrote: post #43
zrail wrote: post #26

Southwest, as far as I can tell, doesn't change rates once they've published. Three rate tiers, optional early check-in to get a better boarding order position, and free baggage. The most striking difference is that, in general, the flight attendants are happy . They smile. They joke around. Sometimes they sing songs. I was on a flight a few months ago where the entire plane played a game because it was someone's bir…

As a parent, I fly Southwest so that I can take advantage of the two free checked-in bags you get per ticket. Not having to wrestle several overfull bags of clothes on and off of the plane makes Southwest a great bargain for my piece of mind.

If each kid has a ticket, you can check a bag under their name. Why do you need 2 bags?

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#58

Post by leoedin »

lizzard wrote: post #46
michaelochurch wrote: post #3

"We did that Uber shit before it was cool." -- The airlines. Another thing that surprises most people is how expensive business and first class are, relative to coach. After all, if you're only getting 1.5-2x as much space, it doesn't seem fair that you'd have to pay 10x prices. The truth is that many of those seats are filled via upgrades to frequent fliers and more fairly priced in that view. But someone who asks f…

Disabled people do not have to buy first class tickets. I am disabled, and often am seated in the very back of the airplane. There is a narrow aisle chair (a very skinny wheelchair) to help people get into the plane and through a plane's aisles. Airline agents at the gate often nicely switch my seats closer to the front of the plane, but not to first class. You are claiming some things that absolutely aren't true, he…

I don't think the comment author claimed that disabled people have to travel first class, but that some people with disabilities choose to travel business or first class because travelling in economy is too painful / not practical.

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#59

Post by raverbashing »

michaelochurch wrote: post #3

"We did that Uber shit before it was cool." -- The airlines. Another thing that surprises most people is how expensive business and first class are, relative to coach. After all, if you're only getting 1.5-2x as much space, it doesn't seem fair that you'd have to pay 10x prices. The truth is that many of those seats are filled via upgrades to frequent fliers and more fairly priced in that view. But someone who asks f…

Sometimes you can get a business class by a nice price (something like 1.5x a regular ticket), it depends

And it's not only about the space, it's the service + luggage allowance + flexibility

Re: Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?

#60

Post by ElComradio »

Someone1234 wrote: post #32
spdustin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, they're not forcing anyone into anything. As much as I loathe handing over my money to airlines - an experience I sometimes have to face three times a month - they are a for-profit commercial enterprise with no requirements for how they operate beyond government-imposed ones. Want something legitimate to complain about when thinking of flying the friendly skies? Think about the airlines whining about the…

There should be a government imposed minimum seat pitch. The current distance between the back of one seat and the front of another is too small for the top 10% in terms of height of the population, disabled people, and older people. Then airlines cannot use "competition" to argue why they should make seats smaller and smaller, as all competition would have to adapt also. I don't care if they're a private business. T…

Then what happens is you effectively impose a surcharge on the 90% of the population who do not need a larger seat pitch, which hardly seems fair either.

You don't have competition on seat pitch because there are not enough people willing to pay the increase for the comfort to sustain an airline.

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