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Delta’s new AI-powered pricing strategy

blog.getjetback.com

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Re: Delta’s new AI-powered pricing strategy

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming their model is accurate at predicting economic value and assuming that the wage gap between men and women still exists, wouldn't it be relatively straightforward to show men as a group are quoted higher prices?

Men aren’t a protected class. I’m not sarcastic: They really are not, it’s legally ok to charge men more.

"Men" and "being a man" sure as hell is a protected class, and there are plenty of lawsuits to back it up. e.g.

https://www.foxnews.com/story/texas-man-settles-discriminati...

like it's literally a 5 second search on the google or bing to prove

Re: Delta’s new AI-powered pricing strategy

#72
post #14
post #2

The Civil Rights Act requires companies not to discriminate against legally protected classes. That includes both disparate treatment and disparate impact. I can't see how "personalized pricing" would remain unchallenged, given those hurdles, if it truly means pricing fares based on individual characteristics. It's totally fine to have loyalty programs that reward people who fly Delta frequently with better rates. Bu…

As a student of political science, I agree with you. However, the current political administration and Supreme Court seem unlikely to be interested in protecting consumers in this way.

the current administration and SCOTUS are doing everything they can, aggressively, to screw over the average consumer

Re: Delta’s new AI-powered pricing strategy

#73

Time to open source some adversarial AI! De-wealth your data footprint for better prices, leave digital traces that say “I’m dirt poor, but willing to buy if the price is right”. I think the OSS community might be able to fight this fight.

I don't think that's possible, there's too much data that pairs your real identity with purchases. Even Delta's own information on your past purchases (recall tickets are nominative) could be enough to size you up. I don't know who's responsible, but there's clear information sharing related to using a credit card in the US. E-mail address and whether you have Amazon Prime are two examples I've seen (I was never aske…

I dopn't know, could be doable, at least some basics to muddy the water and maybe more:

Use packages like selenium, VPN providers could offer more turn-key w/ advances features as a value add SaaS.

The idea is, you're not blocking the pricing models, you're feeding them a perfectly consistent bottom-tier consumer profile. They don't love you as a customer, but they'll take you, they know you're a reliable buyer for the right price. You just never buy unless it's at the absolute floor. There's be the need for regular cat & mouse tactice, like with VPN & IP blocking those trying to get around geo blackouts.

a) Use headless Selenium automation to simulate a stable consumer footprint: flight searches, cart abandonment, loyalty program logins, price comparisons.

b) Enrichment networks (LiveRamp, Oracle, etc.) pick up your cookies, browsing behavior, email patterns, so give them exactly what they want: budget travel habits, low-income signals, and no upsell interest.

c) Keep a consistent synthetic persona: same email, same billing ZIP, same bargain behavior, every time. Never act like a deal hunter, just a reluctant flyer with no flexibility.

d) Optional: pair it with a residential-looking PO box address ++ curated device fingerprint (e.g., Firefox on Win10, 1366x768). Avoid exit nodes from sketchy VPNs or known scraper IP pools. Prepaid credit cards.

e) You're not avoiding targeting, you're training the model. Over time, it learns: this user only converts at the floor. That's what it shows you.

Too much effort? Bundle it: Again, imagine a VPN-style service that quietly builds your fake profile over weeks using open-source tools. Privacy meets price manipulation.

Re: Delta’s new AI-powered pricing strategy

#74
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's complexity here that could sway a court. A few years ago, we engaged an AI company to identify potentially problematic hospitality customers. Those were required to check in in person at the front desk instead of the app. Sounds like it could fail those tests, but those tests are for humans and this is AI!

the second it leaks that "potentially problematic hospitality customers" disproportionally target a minority you and the AI company will be sued aggressively from all sides.

Oh sure, and the publicity would actually be worse. But these were organized crime gangs that would check in, steal everything, and leave in 15 minutes. So the investigation and targeting was fairly narrow. It wasn't designed to filter unruly guests or anything else.
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