DECEPTIVE AIRLINE PRICING is coming

[Lewisc]

The airlines want to be able to add surcharge for items like fuel and labor to the promoted fare. When you first do a fare search you might find a $150 fare but when you go to book the flight you'll find a $100 of added fuel and labor surcharges added to the price you'll pay.

The purpose of the the proposed change is to make it harder to search for low airline fares.

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=57752

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/60977.htm

Some airlines think a good way to compete with low cost carriers is to be able to promote a fare that can't be booked without surcharges.

A few weeks ago the NYTimes ran an article that said the change would be approved. I don't know if public pressure will be enought to block it.

 

[CarolA]

Well it brings them in line with the rental cars. I rented a car in Boston in January, the "Fees" were more then the rental rate!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

I posted about this a while back, including a US DOT website where members of the public could submit their comments on this change.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1019363&highlight=fares

The opportunity to let the govt. know what you think is out there, but very few people take advantage of the opportunity to submit comments. It is no wonder that the airline industry lobby gets away with things like this with no opposition. The time to protest is BEFORE it happens, not after. The site is still taking comments, so let DOT know what you think!

The airlines will still probably get what they want, but I least I got to say something about how I feel about it.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

The thread title is not only absurd but it's also deceptive. The airlines are not practicing deceptive pricing any more than rental car companies do... and I don't see the OP ranting about rental car companies practices.

It would be deceptive if the final, complete price of the ticket were not calculated and presented to you BEFORE you purchased it. What the airlines are doing is allowing themselves some leverage to compete with no-frills carriers on an equal basis of what the actual airline fare is, excluding the extras that are tacked on.

But by all means let's do everything possible to prevent the legacy carriers from competing with smaller companies, so that we can get rid of more of the legacy carriers.

 

[bicker]

I agree. I believe it has been utterly unfair to force airlines to advertise prices inflated by government's waste and excess. The airlines should advertise what THEY get for airline tickets, and the government should be thereby held accountable for how much extra they tack on.

 

[salmoneous]

Note that what is being discussed here isn't just payments to the government - it includes payments to the airline. It would allow the airline to advertise a ticket price of $99, but then tack on $15 in fuel charge, $15 in labor charge etc. Yes, rental companies currently do this *BUT* that doesn't mean it isn't a deceptive practice. We are also starting to see this crap with hotels. They give you a rate of $99, but then tack on mandatory report fees, energy surcharges, phone fees, safe fees, etc.

Tigger - if the only way legacy carriers can compete is with deceptive advertising, they should just go away.

Bicker - we should make it *easy* for people to understand how much they are going to have to pay for a ticket. If you are upset with how much the taxes are - allow companies to state up front that the ticket price is $189 (which includes $34 is taxes as fees to the government). But don't make people go through the whole buying process before telling them how much something is going to cost.

 

[DebbieB]

The one thing that gets me is big billboards that advertise flights to Florida, but it's only the one way fare.

 

[bicker]

The reality is that our weak-willed judiciary isn't going to let any major airlines "go away." If they let US Airways and United survive, Delta and Northwest have to be given the same accommodation, up to an including anything that helps foster the national interest represented by such large employers in our economy.

 

[NotUrsula]

The one thing that gets me is big billboards that advertise flights to Florida, but it's only the one way fare.

I could live with this if it were possible to actually purchase that one-way fare *as* a one-way fare, but the advertised fare is almost always not available unless you purchase a r/t. Bait-and-switch in my book.

I've heard an argument that truth-in-pricing doesn't take differences in local taxes into account, but I think that's horsepuckey. The sales now are advertised as "from $99" and the like. It would be just the same, except that with a minimum possible $30 in taxes they would have to advertise that fare as "from $129". I don't think people care that much about advertised maximum fares, but a misleading minimum is another situation entirely.

Posted gasoline prices have to include the taxes. I don't see why it is so impossible to do it for an airline fare.

 

[pezpam]

Just makes me want to stick with the online booking sites that state all of those fees and taxes up front. The airlines already have to tack on some of those extras and I prefer to see the full price pop up when I search for an airfare rather than later on - whether it's an airline website or another site....... Let em tack on what they want to and call it what they want to, just give me the full price up front so I can compare apples to apples. (Would love to see car rental places do the same. Of course, I'd also like them to lose the sour faces when I refuse some of those fees, but doubt that'll happen any time soon. lol)

 

[keishashadow]

When I was trying to redeem a combo of credits/reward vouchers w/Air Tran last Dec. they tried to talk me into a connecting flight.

Didn't sound too bad until they told me I'd have to pay one of the govt. fees twice for the tix, since I'd be departing twice???

Only about $20 more...however, NO thank-you very much.

 

[Lewisc]

At least the rental car companies have surcharges that are basically the same, at the same location, from agency to agency. Most of the rental surcharges are governmental fees which are outside the control of the agency.

The issue is an airline will be allowed to promote one fare that will come up when you search and not until you book will you be told about a fuel surcharge, a labor surcharge or some other surcharge. These are surcharges that are under the control of the airline and may vary from airline to airline.

It's really not fair competition if some airlines are posting the real fare and other airlines are posting a phony fare. Many (most?) consumers will wrongly think the extra charges are standardized from carrier to carrier.

Of course it's deceptive. Is there any other reasons for only showing part of the fare?

NotUrsula I didn't see your previous post. Thanks for the link.

The thread title is not only absurd but it's also deceptive. The airlines are not practicing deceptive pricing any more than rental car companies do... and I don't see the OP ranting about rental car companies practices.

It would be deceptive if the final, complete price of the ticket were not calculated and presented to you BEFORE you purchased it. What the airlines are doing is allowing themselves some leverage to compete with no-frills carriers on an equal basis of what the actual airline fare is, excluding the extras that are tacked on.


But by all means let's do everything possible to prevent the legacy carriers from competing with smaller companies, so that we can get rid of more of the legacy carriers.

 

[TDC Nala]

It is not a deceptive practice as long as you are given the opportunity to view the entire cost of your ticket purchase before you send payment. When I rent a car, I know what I'm paying in surcharges, they don't show up as a surprise when I get the credit card bill.

I think the complaint is that while booking a flight online, you may not see the surcharges until the last minute, and would have to give up and go back to searching if the surcharges get you past what you're willing to spend.

I can't imagine advocating allowing the airlines OR the government to add costs that you don't know about until after you've entered all your payment information and clicked the point of no return button.

 

[Lewisc]

Name one valid reason for allowing an airline to promote one fare but allow them to add a surcharge that's under the exclusive control of the airline and that will vary from airline to airline?

The rental car agencies are adding government surcharges that are the same from agency to agency.

It is not a deceptive practice as long as you are given the opportunity to view the entire cost of your ticket purchase before you send payment. When I rent a car, I know what I'm paying in surcharges, they don't show up as a surprise when I get the credit card bill.

I think the complaint is that while booking a flight online, you may not see the surcharges until the last minute, and would have to give up and go back to searching if the surcharges get you past what you're willing to spend.

I can't imagine advocating allowing the airlines OR the government to add costs that you don't know about until after you've entered all your payment information and clicked the point of no return button.

 

[TDC Nala]

sure, but my point was you would have to know what the charges were before you paid for the ticket. You don't HAVE to pay for the ticket.

If the charges are kept hidden until AFTER you've bought the ticket, that's when it'll bother me.

 

[bicker]

Precisely. As long as the taxes and fees are presented before final purchase, there is no deception.

 

[salmoneous]

You guys have a much higher threshold for deception that I do.

For those that think this isn't decpetive advertising, is there *anything* you would find to be decpetive advertising? Can an airline - or anyone else for that matter - put whatever price they want in an ad and it's not deceptive so long as they till you the real price before charging your credit card?

 

[keishashadow]

Not sure if it falls under the deceptive category but, saw the following on a.m. news today:

*some carriers will begin charging $15 extra for "some" aisle & all bulkhead seats. Business class receiving 1st dibs 24 hours out.

*Next up in the coming year, projected $2 to $5 per bag surcharge; checked & carry-on.

Glad I picked up those huge rolling monstrosities.

Said the extra $1,000 they'd make in the 1st instance is enough to keep the flight profitable/flying.

Personally, since we usually don't take the max. luggage allowance (even when we're not using the big "body bags", I'd prefer that sort of surchage as opposed to an across the board increase.

 

[goofy4tink]

I used to be very surprised when I would choose a flight on Song, and when I went to the payment area, it would then show those additional fees...sometimes totalling $30 more! At least now, when I look at the Delta flights, it does give me the actual total for the flight right away.
JB still does it the other way...you have to choose the flights and then it will tell you the 'actual' cost. I'm a bit nervous about these addtl fees. I'm sure it's going to be the same as college costs...they can't increase the tuition but they increase all the different fees instead! It sure would be nice if they were just honest with us....give us all the fees right up front....$79 for the flight, and xyz for fuel, abc for govt fees...that kind of thing.
They're going to get us one way or the other.

 

[shafke]

The phone company does the same thing (actually they are worse since they do not publish how much these fees are and you do not know until after you have signed a contract and have received your first bill)... when was the last time you actually paid the rate advertised for your cell phone. They wording on the bill makes it appear as if these are additional gonvernment imposed taxes while in reality they are part of the cost of doing business.

What this allows the airline to do is put in big bold numbers there really cheap airfare and then in the really small fine print put all of the extras.

Our local electric company has been playing this game for years... They keep going on about how they have not raised rates but keep adding "fuel surcharges" to the monthly bill.