Originally Posted by
Frequentflyer99
However, they lost the case because - ironically - they were unable to provide sufficient evidence as to what the fare would have been, on the relevant date, for the flights actually flown.
Indeed pricing is non-transparent by design (and to the benefit of the airline), there's no consistency based on route, time of day, advanced purchase period.
As such, very difficult to retrospectively shown the exact fare a consumer would/should have paid on date X vs date Y for a fare A-B-C-B-D vs A-B-C-B-A
Clearly if segment pricing was simple and consistent, it would be straight-forward. But the airlines actively choose not to make it so (to their general advantage, but on occasion to the benefit of the minority consumer).
The problem would immediately go away if airlines charged each segment at a consistent and transparent price (thought this would make them hugely non-competetive outside of home markets - the opposite of what they are seeking to achieve now).
In addition this really opens up the accusations of price gauging (in that if A-B-C-B-A costs ££, then you are gauging people by charging £££ for B-C-B on the same flights/services)
It all seems like a fine line which would be dangerous to cross for a small number of individual cases (albeit LH appear to be trying just that - and one wonders what they really hope to practically achieve, especially given they effectively lost their first attempt).