Lawsuit Accuses AA of Duplicitous Pricing Tactics

Margaret Schultz has filed a class action lawsuit against the carrier, accusing it of duplicitous pricing tactics. Schultz says that American Airlines hiked the price of her ticket from $197 to $397 after she keyed in her payment and personal details. The plaintiff accuses the carrier of a breach of contract.

A woman is taking legal action against American Airlines, accusing the carrier of employing duplicitous “bait and switch” tactics to hike advertised ticket prices.

The details of the suit, as brought forward by Margaret Schultz, the lead plaintiff, are available to view at Top Class Actions. Schultz alleges that AA deploys “cookies” and “other machinations” in order to not only track customers’ digital movements, but to manipulate stated ticket fares.

The website outlines Schultz’s claim, stating, “Schultz says that while searching for a ticket from Miami International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, aa.com listed a price of $197.”

After entering both her personal as well as her payment details, Schultz alleges that AA increased the ticket price first from $197 to $297 and then again from $297 to $397. Schultz says that she ended up spending $320 in air miles in order to buy the ticket at its originally offered price.

Her suit alleges that, “American’s breach of its contract with Plaintiff for the $197 ticket is part of a systematic and purposeful effort by American to dishonestly lure customers with contracts it knows it cannot honor, then fatten its coffers after the consumer—having already accepted the contract at a lower price—is forced to pay more for the same service.”

Schultz alleges that the carrier’s potential customers may pay more for their flights if they choose to key in their personal details “to avoid the time and hassle of searching again.” The lawsuit accuses AA of having used “a web cache system that it knew does not update inventory in real time.”

The plaintiff, whose suit has been removed from Florida Circuit Court to the federal jurisdiction, is seeking “to represent a nationwide Class of individuals who were duped by American Airline’s alleged bait and switch scheme and ended up booking more expensive airfare after being presented with a cheaper ticket on aa.com.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]

H/T View From the Wing