3 ms·

I think they will gouge your nephew more, if he has less money. Offering better benefits and lower prices to frequent customers is widespread across every indus

by nikanj 9y ago

I think they will gouge your nephew more, if he has less money. Offering better benefits and lower prices to frequent customers is widespread across every industry, and airlines want to get in on that too. It’s the opposite model of traditional enterprise sales, where prices go up when the customer has more money.

opportune 9y ago
Depends on the implementation. I have no loyalty to any particular airline and someone referencing a third party database containing my address/ZIP/employment history could reasonably deduce that I have disposable income - I could see myself either getting gouged as a result or getting a lower price in an attempt to secure a loyal customer. An interesting side-effect I just thought of could be that business commuters' flight prices may increase, and business travelers may even prefer that. I have a consultant friend that is allowed to use personal cards for work-related expenses so he would enjoy the increased cash-back and miles. What a world of perverse incentives
- nikanj 9y ago
  Seats in the lowest class economy earn miles at -50%, sometimes even -75%. Seats in business class earn them at 300%. Yup, if you spend more of your employer's money, you earn a nicer vacation for yourself.
  - jk2323 9y ago
    0% has become common (think Lufthanasa, Air India or Singapore Airlines) Tip for the pro: Change your airline. I can recommend Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines.
    - dzhiurgis 9y ago
      > Aeroflot I'd rather take a train to gulag than use anything Russia-related. They keep appearing as cheapest carriers in comparison sites for departures from small Eastern European capitols. Whoever took em before are horrified and never do them again.
      - jk2323 9y ago
        > Whoeve Not me. I am an Aeroflot Gold Elite status holder. They have one of the most modern fleets and customer service is pretty good in my opinion. Also the stock does well the last time I checked. Cheapest carrier? - They have a good hub solution via Moscow - I assume they have cheap oil - I assume they don't have to pay fees to fly over Russia (a pretty big country the last time I checked) http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-charge-foreign-airlines-to-fly-through-airspace-travel-planes-international-flight-2017-9 http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-charge-foreign-airl...
hkmurakami 9y ago
I've flown united for 30 years and I'm finally off the loyalty wagon since they've eroded any reason to be a frequent flyer status holder.
- gaius 9y ago
  Same with BA. They hired a new CEO from a budget airline so budget that noone had even heard of it in the UK. And now he is determined to turn our once-prestigious flag carrier into a clone of it.
  - herrschnapps 9y ago
    Having flown BA to Turkey last year, I was not impressed. I'd choose a budget airline like Norwegian over BA now. BA didn't do anything wrong, I just can't see how they justify charging 5-star carrier costs for a budget experience.

by nikanj 9y ago

opportune 9y ago

Depends on the implementation. I have no loyalty to any particular airline and someone referencing a third party database containing my address/ZIP/employment history could reasonably deduce that I have disposable income - I could see myself either getting gouged as a result or getting a lower price in an attempt to secure a loyal customer. An interesting side-effect I just thought of could be that business commuters' flight prices may increase, and business travelers may even prefer that. I have a consultant friend that is allowed to use personal cards for work-related expenses so he would enjoy the increased cash-back and miles. What a world of perverse incentives

nikanj 9y ago
Seats in the lowest class economy earn miles at -50%, sometimes even -75%. Seats in business class earn them at 300%. Yup, if you spend more of your employer's money, you earn a nicer vacation for yourself.
- jk2323 9y ago
  0% has become common (think Lufthanasa, Air India or Singapore Airlines) Tip for the pro: Change your airline. I can recommend Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines.
  - dzhiurgis 9y ago
    > Aeroflot I'd rather take a train to gulag than use anything Russia-related. They keep appearing as cheapest carriers in comparison sites for departures from small Eastern European capitols. Whoever took em before are horrified and never do them again.
    - jk2323 9y ago
      > Whoeve Not me. I am an Aeroflot Gold Elite status holder. They have one of the most modern fleets and customer service is pretty good in my opinion. Also the stock does well the last time I checked. Cheapest carrier? - They have a good hub solution via Moscow - I assume they have cheap oil - I assume they don't have to pay fees to fly over Russia (a pretty big country the last time I checked) http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-charge-foreign-airlines-to-fly-through-airspace-travel-planes-international-flight-2017-9 http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-charge-foreign-airl...

hkmurakami 9y ago

I've flown united for 30 years and I'm finally off the loyalty wagon since they've eroded any reason to be a frequent flyer status holder.

gaius 9y ago
Same with BA. They hired a new CEO from a budget airline so budget that noone had even heard of it in the UK. And now he is determined to turn our once-prestigious flag carrier into a clone of it.
- herrschnapps 9y ago
  Having flown BA to Turkey last year, I was not impressed. I'd choose a budget airline like Norwegian over BA now. BA didn't do anything wrong, I just can't see how they justify charging 5-star carrier costs for a budget experience.