3 ms·

I'm still not sure why it's a big deal if I get off a plane at a stop, but getting off a train isn't a big deal. They could always allow some way for you to in

by tibbon 16y ago

I'm still not sure why it's a big deal if I get off a plane at a stop, but getting off a train isn't a big deal. They could always allow some way for you to inform them, "I'm leaving, don't wait for me." (or simply you could just go to that gate and tell them. That way they aren't holding the plane, and no one else is at a loss. You don't inconvenience anyone else, except maybe a few confused people working at the gate. None of this still solves the issue that airlines don't have transparent pricing. If restaurants acted like airlines, you'd have people in the same place paying anywhere from $5 to $200 for the same meal, and you'd be unsure of one day to the next how much they'll be charging. You could even pay for your meal upfront, only to find that they 'oversold' the meals and you'll have to go hungry. If you want to talk about unethical, let's talk about inconveniencing customers by overselling flights.

euroclydon 16y ago
It's a big deal because you are signaling your intention to to fly to destination C, not B, when in fact your hidden intention is only to go to B. This is called lying. Try telling them the truth, either by buying the single A->B flight or by telling the check-in clerk that you have no intention of flying to C, and you won't get the good price and may get banned from the airline.
- tibbon 16y ago
  Again, for some reason no other form of transit seems to really care. Even if you tell them about it. What other businesses do this (really strange) practice? I can buy the entire Microsoft Office and only use Excel and Microsoft doesn't care. Take a cruise somewhere, stop along the way and you think to stay there for good? They don't care. Take a Greyhound bus somewhere and stay in the Arby's too long? They don't care if you want to stay in that random town. Take a train somewhere, and they certainly won't care where you get off. Buy a commuter rail pass that will get you to Worchester from Boston, tell the attendant that you're going to Worchester and then get off in Newton... they don't care. And you know when the airline doesn't care? When you buy the ticket and don't show up at all. They'll happily take your cash, but it seems they don't want to take you halfwhere there.
  - euroclydon 16y ago
    The concept the airlines are employing is called market segmentation. It's legal and they have the right to do it. The concept you seem to be referencing is some generic measure of product utilization. The office analogy is wrong. A better one would be the person who tells MS they are a student but uses Excel in their business. The train analogy is backward, would you intentionally buy a ticket to a more expensive destination if your intention were to get off early?
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
tptacek 16y ago
You're changing the subject. It can be both bad that airline pricing isn't transparent and bad to exploit it to reduce your own fares at the expense of everyone else on the same route. However, I will note that as annoying as airline pricing is, particularly to geeks but yes to everyone else too, they do serve a function of capturing revenue from customers who aren't price sensitive (biz travelers) and thus lowering fares for people who are very price sensitive (older leisure travelers). You would not be able to argue that airfares were "unethical" if they simply and "transparently" locked in a constant average fair $150 higher than the current bottom end price on Kayak, but the airlines would be making the same money. For all the complaining and anger around airline pricing, it's also worth noting that these companies aren't Exxon; they aren't rolling in cash. Airlines go BK all the time. It's a tough business.

by tibbon 16y ago

euroclydon 16y ago

It's a big deal because you are signaling your intention to to fly to destination C, not B, when in fact your hidden intention is only to go to B. This is called lying. Try telling them the truth, either by buying the single A->B flight or by telling the check-in clerk that you have no intention of flying to C, and you won't get the good price and may get banned from the airline.

tibbon 16y ago
Again, for some reason no other form of transit seems to really care. Even if you tell them about it. What other businesses do this (really strange) practice? I can buy the entire Microsoft Office and only use Excel and Microsoft doesn't care. Take a cruise somewhere, stop along the way and you think to stay there for good? They don't care. Take a Greyhound bus somewhere and stay in the Arby's too long? They don't care if you want to stay in that random town. Take a train somewhere, and they certainly won't care where you get off. Buy a commuter rail pass that will get you to Worchester from Boston, tell the attendant that you're going to Worchester and then get off in Newton... they don't care. And you know when the airline doesn't care? When you buy the ticket and don't show up at all. They'll happily take your cash, but it seems they don't want to take you halfwhere there.
- euroclydon 16y ago
  The concept the airlines are employing is called market segmentation. It's legal and they have the right to do it. The concept you seem to be referencing is some generic measure of product utilization. The office analogy is wrong. A better one would be the person who tells MS they are a student but uses Excel in their business. The train analogy is backward, would you intentionally buy a ticket to a more expensive destination if your intention were to get off early?
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

tptacek 16y ago

You're changing the subject. It can be both bad that airline pricing isn't transparent and bad to exploit it to reduce your own fares at the expense of everyone else on the same route. However, I will note that as annoying as airline pricing is, particularly to geeks but yes to everyone else too, they do serve a function of capturing revenue from customers who aren't price sensitive (biz travelers) and thus lowering fares for people who are very price sensitive (older leisure travelers). You would not be able to argue that airfares were "unethical" if they simply and "transparently" locked in a constant average fair $150 higher than the current bottom end price on Kayak, but the airlines would be making the same money. For all the complaining and anger around airline pricing, it's also worth noting that these companies aren't Exxon; they aren't rolling in cash. Airlines go BK all the time. It's a tough business.