Many travels are decided in last two weeks before travel...especially in family emergencies or death. Even vacations cannot be planned ahead of time with two spouses working and kids in schols etc.
Airlines rip you off unless you have booked flights 3-4 weeks in advance. It is going to cost them the same to fy me if I book ticket today ot on August 31st for a travel on September st. So why do they rip people off? Is that not price gouging. No other industry does that. FTD cannot tell you for example that if you send flowers tomorrow, it would cost you three times as much as if you send it in a month.
You would think that an industry bailed out big time after 9/11 would be more customer friendly to tax payers whose money it took to bail them out.
Why doen't the congress do anything to regulate their practices?
2006-08-01 05:38:36 · 5 answers · asked by dude 4 in Travel ➔ Air Travel
I don't know why they do that or how they can get away with it.
You would think from a customer service point of view, they would give one a break when there is a death in the family.
You made some very good points.
2006-08-01 06:03:01 · answer #1 · answered by Patti C 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Actually, the government is who started this whole practice. Back before deregulation, the government set the prices. Finally in the late 70s early 80s the airlines were given control of pricing and selling tickets. They kept the same practices, just had more say so in how much to charge. And trust me, air fare is MUCH cheaper than ever before, especially before deregulation. So...dont get pissed at the airlines, get pissed at the government, they started it.
And just like the other poster said, the airline industry is not the only industry that works this way. Hotels, even concerts. There is a fare structure and only a certain number of fares or tickets are at each price level, once they sell out, you go to the next level. The more the plane fills up, the more expensive it will be. Ive sold deeply discounted fares as walk ups when the plane was still empty.
And before you get all "9/11", think about what it would be like if the airline industry did crash....a vast majority of commerce would cease. Cargo is also shipped on airplanes and a good portion of the services and goods you use today were shipped via airplanes. Cargo is what has been keeping airlines going right now when consumers want to ***** and moan about spending $300 on a ticket thinking that is outrageous. Go back 20 and 30 years ago and more when people paid 2 and 3 times that amount and were happy to do it. You had good service, full meal service and you were handed the moon on a silver platter. And now people want to know why food is crappy or non-existant. I knew it was time to leave when I sold a transcontinental flight for $99 each way. That is just rediculous!!! THAT is why airline agents treat you like crap. Your measly $200 ticket IS NOT paying my salary. Its barely paying for the fuel being used while it takes your *** forever just to sit down and shut up!
2006-08-01 16:15:59 · answer #2 · answered by southrntrnzplnt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's basic supply and demand. They have something you want and they charge for it. I've been traveling heavily for close to 15 years and they don't give price breaks to anyone when you book late.
Actually, there is another industry that charges for booking late - hotels. If you book a popular hotel close to your planned arrival and they're close to full - you'll pay the "rack rate" which is nearly always double the price you see online. Why? Because they can.
The breaks on pricing for airfares are at 21 days, 14 days and 7 days. The earlier you can book, the better the deal. Also, try to book in the middle of the night (after midnight) because the fares get adjusted over night based on the previous days sales.
2006-08-01 13:02:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
too much to read
2006-08-01 12:45:27 · answer #4 · answered by zsaneib 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
becausd they can ~~~~~
2006-08-01 14:09:26 · answer #5 · answered by MIGHTY MINNIE 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋