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12/07/2011 10:57:27 PM · #1 |
Hey all,
Just and an airline, WestJet, play a horrible trick on me.
I was booking a flight to BC for the end of this February for my Mum's 80th birthday. So I logged on about 9:40 and spent a few minutes comparing times and dates, and across the board most of the flights were listed at $169 each way, and the total once I booked the flight (but hadn't yet paid) was a bearable $494.50. But when I left to get the credit card one of the cats played with the keyboard and I was logged off by the time I returned.
I thought nothing of it, until I returned to the WestJet site to go through the process of booking again...and during that 5 minutes total I was offline, the fares had jumped $80. Now I am looking at paying $249 each way, not including taxes. This was shortly before 10pm this evening.
I am absolutely furious, as there is no indication whatsoever on the site that there is any kind of rollover and that the prices are about to rocket. Even frickin ebay will tell you how much time you have left to bid on an item.
I promptly sent WestJet a very expressive email about this nasty little stunt of theirs. I've flown with them many a time and like to support what was a small, friendly airline with distinct advantages over their rivals. Now I'm very pissed off and upset about this matter.
Has anyone else ever encountered problems like this, with WestJet or any other airline? Does anyone here work for an airline in an admin capacity, who can explain this?! |
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12/07/2011 11:05:51 PM · #2 |
| They track your visits to the site. You get the best offer the first time. If you sign out and come back later, the cheaper fare is replaced by a higher one. I usually check prices for fares from a computer other than my primary one just for this reason. Sorry to hear the you are getting taken advantage of by these guys. |
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12/07/2011 11:07:35 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by scooter97:
They track your visits to the site. You get the best offer the first time. If you sign out and come back later, the cheaper fare is replaced by a higher one. I usually check prices for fares from a computer other than my primary one just for this reason. Sorry to hear the you are getting taken advantage of by these guys. |
Geeze, learn something new every day. That explains a lot... Assuming it's a fact, anyway :-) Guess I'll take your word for it.
R.
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12/07/2011 11:08:41 PM · #4 |
Airlines do not price all seats the same. Not just window bs aisle or first class vs regular tickets. The usually have a specific number of lower priced tickets each flight. Once those are sold the price goes up. This continues until the flight is sold out. So prices can go up in minutes. Most airlines do this and have done this for years.
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12/07/2011 11:09:12 PM · #5 |
| Bear, I can't tell you where I first heard this, but I checked it out with a 'test' trip and it worked as I described it. |
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12/07/2011 11:10:28 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Airlines do not price all seats the same. Not just window bs aisle or first class vs regular tickets. The usually have a specific number of lower priced tickets each flight. Once those are sold the price goes up. This continues until the flight is sold out. So prices can go up in minutes. Most airlines do this and have done this for years. |
Now, THAT sounds more likely to me... But who the heck knows?
R.
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12/07/2011 11:28:00 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by scooter97:
Bear, I can't tell you where I first heard this, but I checked it out with a 'test' trip and it worked as I described it. |
+1, it is unfortunately true, I tested it with removing cookies, changing the browser and changing IP address - some airlines do play tricks with us. It was confirmed in the tests by the Australian Choice magazine. Very nasty tactics. |
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12/07/2011 11:31:06 PM · #8 |
Another big factor is the day you travel... mid week days are cheaper and booking well in advance saves a ton...says he who is already looking at air fares to NZ and OZ for next fall...hehehe.
Ray |
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12/07/2011 11:44:36 PM · #9 |
| I believe the only thing that you can be sure of is that every person on your plane paid a different price :-/ |
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12/08/2011 01:51:58 AM · #10 |
Welcome to deregulation.
and some people want to do the same with banks... |
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12/08/2011 01:58:29 AM · #11 |
I think it was said on the news by a travel expert, that you should check the airlines headquarters, where they are based, and check their flights at midnight (their time), or close to midnight, of the said location on a Tuesday night, to get the best deals.
Message edited by author 2011-12-08 01:58:52. |
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12/08/2011 02:43:39 AM · #12 |
Seats are priced for availability, the fewer there are left, the more they cost.
It could be that half the remaining seats were booked in the short time you were away from the computer, so the remainder went up in price. |
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12/08/2011 03:01:17 AM · #13 |
| IMO, the cat is in cahoots with the airlines. You may not be able to kick the airlines ass, but... |
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12/08/2011 10:04:12 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
Another big factor is the day you travel... mid week days are cheaper and booking well in advance saves a ton...says he who is already looking at air fares to NZ and OZ for next fall...hehehe.
Ray |
I know, I booked both flights for Tuesdays, and certainly thought that 2 1/2 months was plenty of time to find a flight I could afford. And who'da thunk that a flight booked during the ass end of a Canadian February would cost so frickin much?! You'd think they'd be paying people to fly during that time to fill seats!!!
I haven't yet booked a flight, I am still fuming over this. I've sent lots of business their way and have flown with them for longer than I can remember, so that makes things double-plus ungood. >:-(
And to add insult to injury, yes, in one or two of the timeslots available for travel they did say that there were x # of seats available. But it gave the impression that those seats were running out only for that particular flight during that one particular timeslot, I didn't think it would apply to all the flights available that day.
Message edited by author 2011-12-08 10:22:19. |
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12/08/2011 10:48:27 AM · #15 |
Out of curiosity I just checked a round-trip flight from Ottawa to Vancouver on Tuesdays the middle of Feb and came up with a cost of $586 round trip. Yikes! I did hear just yesterday on a financial program that the airlines traditionally offer specials in January after the holidays as that is a relatively dead time for the airlines. If you think that info is true, it might be better to wait to book your trip.
Good Luck finding a better fare Susan! |
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12/08/2011 12:35:14 PM · #16 |
Over here (UK) there is much ado about the tactics by budget airlines...
They sell you a seat for a knock down price, but then when you get to pay, they want to add on airport tax, fuel duty, pay £13 ber bag of luggage, even hand luggage, pay extra for online checkin (some even now charge you to check in at the check in desk but offer a discounted charge for online checkin) and then add surcharge for paying by debit or credit card (debit card transactions are usually free elsewhere but airlines are charging). Causing uproar at the moment.
The price they advertise is nothing like what we pay. |
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12/08/2011 02:34:25 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by lawrysimm:
The price they advertise is nothing like what we pay. |
How much extra is it to use the oxygen mask when the cabin depressurizes? |
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12/08/2011 02:47:15 PM · #18 |
| end of february. isn't that reading week or march break in the true north? |
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12/08/2011 02:50:07 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by lawrysimm:
The price they advertise is nothing like what we pay. |
How much extra is it to use the oxygen mask when the cabin depressurizes? |
You joke, but Ryanair was talking about making people pay to use the toilets. Oxygen can only be next! |
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12/08/2011 02:53:53 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Covert_Oddity:
... Ryanair was talking about making people pay to use the toilets... |
Next up: Alternative uses for the airsick bag... |
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12/08/2011 03:02:37 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by Spork99:
Originally posted by Covert_Oddity:
... Ryanair was talking about making people pay to use the toilets... |
Next up: Alternative uses for the airsick bag... |
... which you can purchase from the vending machines conveniently located at the rear of the plane.
I think it was in the late 1960s that they tried installing pay toilets at San Francisco International Airport ... an experiment which yielded a result distinctly different from that predicted ... |
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12/08/2011 03:06:41 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
...and during that 5 minutes total I was offline, the fares had jumped $80. Now I am looking at paying $249 each way, not including taxes.
I promptly sent WestJet a very expressive email about this nasty little stunt of theirs.
Has anyone else ever encountered problems like this, with WestJet or any other airline? |
Yes, the same thing happened to me with American Airlines for my Washington D.C. trip this summer for me and my son. I checked their fares and then I checked the fares of competitors. American Airlines had the best fares until I went back to purchase the tickets and found that the price had gone up significantly ($103 more per ticket).
What I did differently, however, was to call American and explain what had just transpired. They checked and confirmed that the last seats at that price had, in fact, just sold out. I had missed my opportunity to buy the seats that I had found and while I was checking with the other airlines they had sold out.
The representative suggested that next time I follow through with the reservation to the point of Holding the ticket which they will do for 24 hours. She then stayed on the line with me while she talked me through the steps of placing a pair of tickets on hold at the new price, and then she over-rode the new price and changed the tickets to the price that I had originally found.
Yes, I was pissed when I found that the price had gone up in only 15 minutes and I really wanted to tell them off. That's what I often do, but for some reason I decided to call first even though I didn't actually expect them to honor the previous price. I was surprised and floored that they actually worked with me to get the lower priced tickets. I'm glad that I made the call with restraint.
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12/08/2011 03:09:57 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by yakatme:
I'm glad that I made the call with restraint. |
Congratulations -- firm restraint often works ... :-)
You can always get mad and yell at them later if they are truly abusing you ... |
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12/08/2011 04:31:59 PM · #24 |
I hate all the hidden fees
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12/08/2011 06:04:13 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by Spork99:
Originally posted by Covert_Oddity:
... Ryanair was talking about making people pay to use the toilets... |
Next up: Alternative uses for the airsick bag... |
Nope.... saw a link recently that the yahoo running it said pay porn is been looked at :o-) Same article mentioned pay loos.... issue been the weight and ability to take multi currencies - not the stupidity of it.
Let me see if I can dig it out and post a link -> Yeah this one
Message edited by author 2011-12-08 18:06:32. |
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