Originally Posted by
spgaston
The problem is that airlines seem to have a strange place in commerce that is beyond consumer regulation. Inhumane seat pitch on long hauls, sticking consumers with tickets they purchased on the wrong date or name. If the airlines were more willing to self-regulate then regulation would not be needed. Unfortunately, they have only been willing to do so in very limited circumstances. I think the benefits of regulating a 24 hour cancellation period far outweigh any potential (minor) financial damage this would cause to an airline. Change fees, etc are really just profit generators as opposed to fees for service.
Alaska says:
"If you make a reservation and purchase your ticket at the same time, we will waive our service fee if you need to make a change within the first 24 hours."
It's a competitive world, why get the gov't messed up in things they only mess-up more and increase costs/prices.
Seat pitch - you can pay a higher fare for a better seat pitch or choose an airline that offers more space in economy. I haven't found AS pitch to be inhumane and I'm 6ft and not thin.
Wrong info - While many businesses offer refunds or exchanges if the consumer makes a mistake (wrong size clothes, etc) there is no regulation requiring them to do so in most circumstances. So, why should an airline be liable for a consumer confirming dates/times/destinations repeatedly through a booking process and then claiming they made a mistake? If the airline made the mistake - fine, I'll go along with that.
Change Fees, etc - This is called revenue management and of course it is profit driven. These are publicly-traded businesses not non-profit service societies. The various fees are a regulating tool, they have no need to bear any specific relationship to the cost of the service but are a tool to drive passengers to select the fare/rules that they need based upon the restrictions/flexibility/cost.