Originally Posted by
KhemaneyBoy
Don't think it's there to fool passengers, but echo this completely on a personal level. I would think it is temporary and somewhat related to too much demand and not enough capacity at the moment (and very likely in the near future) amidst the situation in Iran and the Middle East. Prevents pax from finding the optimal fare, which will help the airline maximize yield given the current conditions.
Sorry, maybe I was overreacting a bit when saying they're "fooling" the passengers... but they're most definitely providing imperfect information with the intention of maximising yields - as you said. I understand that Cathay is a business aiming to make profit, but I just find it a little bit distasteful to do it in this manner as it really makes the whole booking process so much more long-winded and time-consuming. I just hope they revert these changes or make other changes to provide a similar degree of usability and convenience.