Originally Posted by Sam - DFW

then why are flights on a given day between city pairs priced differently?

look at LAX/JFK for july 7th return july 11th (price and schedule). outbound flights are $149 at 1:15 and 3pm. however, if i want to arrive earlier than 9:55pm then it costs $255 - an extra $106 (71% higher fare). is it worth it - absolutely. it is a premium that i am willing to pay. i am not just paying for a guaranteed spot on a flight - otherwise i would expect to pay $149 for whatever flight i choose that day.

let's assume that i pay $249 so that i can arrive at 7:24pm, but AA puts me on the later flight that arrives at 9:55pm (b/c there was a non-weather delay in santa barbara for example???). my argument is that i have received diminished service and that the diminished service is reflected in the original fare difference. (in this scenario) i made a conscious decision to pay more to avoid getting to my hotel room at midnight. through no fault of my own, i got diminished service while paying for what i would consider a premium service. by electing to pay for a more for a preferred arrival time, i am arguing that i have a reasonable expectation to receive what i purchased.

SDG has made it very clear that this is a losing argument. i am just asking why?

if AA makes me pay more money for certain flights (same day, same cities) then there should be a cause of action when i am forced onto the inferior flight.