Can't buy posted prices on the AC website
Dec 13, 2014, 12:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YYJ - Victoria
Programs: E50K
Posts: 453
Can't buy posted prices on the AC website
Not sure if this is a glitch, if it's common, or if I am doing something wrong. Advice would be appreciated.
I am looking at a flight in economy from YTZ to BRU, then BRU to YYJ. To the AC site I go. Outbound, it's $366 tango and $589 flex. Inbound, it's $489 Tango and $856 Flex.
$589 plus $856? OK, I will do Flex. There are more benefits with Flex. I will book Flex. I'm OK with Flex. I will pay for Flex.
But then there is a problem. If I click on $589, the outbound Flex price, the inbound price recalculates up to $1020, from $856. If I click on $366, the inbound prices don't budge.
I tried beating the system by clicking on the inbound first, but that just causes the outbound to go higher. The system is basically putting a surcharge on a Flex fare, or urging me to go Tango one-way. Either way, it's annoying, because I can't buy at the posted prices, no matter what I do.
I have contacted AC to see if there is a simple fix. No response after four days. Any else have ideas?
Meanwhile, KLM has YYZ-AMS direct, and AMS-YVR-YYJ, and it would be cheaper, and Rotterdam is my ultimate destination, and it is a much quicker train ride from AMS than from BRU. Hmmm.
I have been trying to do this with AC because I swore a month ago that I would stick with AC. I am already willing to put up with a longer flight and a higher cost, along with a more expensive rail commute. But a $164 surcharge because I want to be loyal? Not a chance I'll pay that.
As I type this, the answer seems so clear: KLM. But if I do that, then I will probably not make E50K for 2016. And if that's the case, my February 2015 flight to Houston should probably be on Alaska/Delta, because it's easier and cheaper. Maybe my pre-Europe flight to YYZ would be cheaper on Westjet. And then I should look for other alternatives for my trip to BNE in September 2015. And so on and so on. I don't see any point in chasing any status below E50K, so if I don't think I'll make that, I'll play the field. This $164 additional ask has consequences. It's a slippery slope here.
It appears my loyalty to AC is shakier than I said it was. I only started looking elsewhere because of the bait-and-switch trick on the AC website -- and yes, I will accept that the trick might just be a glitch, not intentional. I could book Tango outbound, but now I'm annoyed.
So, any suggestions? Is this type of thing normal?
I am looking at a flight in economy from YTZ to BRU, then BRU to YYJ. To the AC site I go. Outbound, it's $366 tango and $589 flex. Inbound, it's $489 Tango and $856 Flex.
$589 plus $856? OK, I will do Flex. There are more benefits with Flex. I will book Flex. I'm OK with Flex. I will pay for Flex.
But then there is a problem. If I click on $589, the outbound Flex price, the inbound price recalculates up to $1020, from $856. If I click on $366, the inbound prices don't budge.
I tried beating the system by clicking on the inbound first, but that just causes the outbound to go higher. The system is basically putting a surcharge on a Flex fare, or urging me to go Tango one-way. Either way, it's annoying, because I can't buy at the posted prices, no matter what I do.
I have contacted AC to see if there is a simple fix. No response after four days. Any else have ideas?
Meanwhile, KLM has YYZ-AMS direct, and AMS-YVR-YYJ, and it would be cheaper, and Rotterdam is my ultimate destination, and it is a much quicker train ride from AMS than from BRU. Hmmm.
I have been trying to do this with AC because I swore a month ago that I would stick with AC. I am already willing to put up with a longer flight and a higher cost, along with a more expensive rail commute. But a $164 surcharge because I want to be loyal? Not a chance I'll pay that.
As I type this, the answer seems so clear: KLM. But if I do that, then I will probably not make E50K for 2016. And if that's the case, my February 2015 flight to Houston should probably be on Alaska/Delta, because it's easier and cheaper. Maybe my pre-Europe flight to YYZ would be cheaper on Westjet. And then I should look for other alternatives for my trip to BNE in September 2015. And so on and so on. I don't see any point in chasing any status below E50K, so if I don't think I'll make that, I'll play the field. This $164 additional ask has consequences. It's a slippery slope here.
It appears my loyalty to AC is shakier than I said it was. I only started looking elsewhere because of the bait-and-switch trick on the AC website -- and yes, I will accept that the trick might just be a glitch, not intentional. I could book Tango outbound, but now I'm annoyed.
So, any suggestions? Is this type of thing normal?
Dec 13, 2014, 1:05 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,314
Longer flight, higher cost, expensive train.... in exchange for what exactly?
How much does AC value your 'loyalty'?
What exactly will you get out of <E50 that would be worth the incoveniences you are well aware of?
Its time to move on, and do whats best for you and your pocket, not some long expired concept of "loyalty"
Dec 13, 2014, 3:52 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YSB & YAM, Northern Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG Gold Elite, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 1,100
There definitely seems to be a problem needing attention
I was intrigued by the OP's posting but without exact dates could only do a random inquiry, and something is really amiss here.
Taking OP's routing, YTZ-BRU-YYJ and picking random dates, outbound March 03 and inbound March 17 brings up the following fare quotes on AC.com:
YTZ-BRU: Tango: $414 Flex: $559 Latitude: $2,217 March 03
BRU-YYJ: Tango: $463 Flex: $820 Latitude: $2,750 March 17
Making a reservation on the above quotes by clicking the outbounds, Tango and Latitude are OK, but clicking the outbound Flex $559 causes the return fares to change to:
BRU-YYJ: Tango: $617 Flex: $974 Latitude: $2,905 March 17
All figures are increased by about $155!
Looks like a glitch in the system that really needs attention!
Not sure what is causing this but it's a real pain for anyone involved!
Taking OP's routing, YTZ-BRU-YYJ and picking random dates, outbound March 03 and inbound March 17 brings up the following fare quotes on AC.com:
YTZ-BRU: Tango: $414 Flex: $559 Latitude: $2,217 March 03
BRU-YYJ: Tango: $463 Flex: $820 Latitude: $2,750 March 17
Making a reservation on the above quotes by clicking the outbounds, Tango and Latitude are OK, but clicking the outbound Flex $559 causes the return fares to change to:
BRU-YYJ: Tango: $617 Flex: $974 Latitude: $2,905 March 17
All figures are increased by about $155!
Looks like a glitch in the system that really needs attention!
Not sure what is causing this but it's a real pain for anyone involved!
Dec 13, 2014, 4:36 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YYJ - Victoria
Programs: E50K
Posts: 453
Dec 13, 2014, 5:30 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: yyz
Programs: status-free
Posts: 565
It's almost certainly an IT thing. It looks like the fare under the "flex" column for the return trip is actually the 2-way fare for a Tango ticket involving the tango fare to its immediate left. So "856" is what your tango fare both ways would be... when you choose flex outbound, the "flex" fare back is now the total of your outbound flex plus the inbound tango fare to its immediate left.
Dec 14, 2014, 6:51 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: YOW
Programs: AC*SEMM, *G, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 898
Definitely a bug somewhere in the system...
I was looking at Z fares for next summer to Europe, and ZRH showed up at roughly $1400 each way - which on a 787 I'd book right away (ZRH is usually more in the 2000-2500 range each way). When you click on the O/B $1400, it does reprice the return to $3400 - yet the total shows around $4,000...
I suspect that this "bug" showed up around the same time that the new web page design was released for Int'l flights on AC.com
I was looking at Z fares for next summer to Europe, and ZRH showed up at roughly $1400 each way - which on a 787 I'd book right away (ZRH is usually more in the 2000-2500 range each way). When you click on the O/B $1400, it does reprice the return to $3400 - yet the total shows around $4,000...
I suspect that this "bug" showed up around the same time that the new web page design was released for Int'l flights on AC.com
Last edited by YOWCDNFF; Dec 14, 2014 at 6:53 am Reason: Adding details
Dec 14, 2014, 7:10 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50K/*G
Posts: 91
I checked the prices for those dates. I'm seeing a $164 increase as well when you select Flex. It's probably a glitch from when they revamped the website last week. If you are really interested in making E50K I would wait a few more days before deciding to book elsewhere to see if they get this fixed.
Dec 14, 2014, 11:12 am
#9
Flying Blue Director
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: CDG/AMS
Posts: 1,864
Hi DaveObee, I did get your PM but have been kind of swamped recently.
Apologies for this glitch, but please let me explain:
This is an issue we recently discovered when we changed the way our international fares were displayed (from the old 'all in' to the 'each way' pricing). One thing that should be noted is that it's not a pricing glitch in the sense that the total fare is actually on par with the filed fare, but rather a glitch with the way the fare is displayed (i.e. as you indicated, the return changes after selecting the outbound). The algorithm that is used to determine the pricing for international trips such as this (e.g. with different cities involved) has always worked behind the scenes but before you weren't able to actually see the differences. I'm told that the final price is as it should be in this case, and we have tested this a few ways.
What should also be noted, interestingly enough, is that this anomaly didn't appear when we used YYZ instead of YTZ for the same city pairs (YYZ-BRU-YYJ). Suffice to say there is a chance we may revert to the old way of displaying fares if this kind of thing continues, as I'm sure you can appreciate we don't want customers to think we are misrepresenting the pricing.
Apologies for this glitch, but please let me explain:
This is an issue we recently discovered when we changed the way our international fares were displayed (from the old 'all in' to the 'each way' pricing). One thing that should be noted is that it's not a pricing glitch in the sense that the total fare is actually on par with the filed fare, but rather a glitch with the way the fare is displayed (i.e. as you indicated, the return changes after selecting the outbound). The algorithm that is used to determine the pricing for international trips such as this (e.g. with different cities involved) has always worked behind the scenes but before you weren't able to actually see the differences. I'm told that the final price is as it should be in this case, and we have tested this a few ways.
What should also be noted, interestingly enough, is that this anomaly didn't appear when we used YYZ instead of YTZ for the same city pairs (YYZ-BRU-YYJ). Suffice to say there is a chance we may revert to the old way of displaying fares if this kind of thing continues, as I'm sure you can appreciate we don't want customers to think we are misrepresenting the pricing.
Dec 14, 2014, 11:50 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YYJ - Victoria
Programs: E50K
Posts: 453
Hi DaveObee, I did get your PM but have been kind of swamped recently.
Apologies for this glitch, but please let me explain:
This is an issue we recently discovered when we changed the way our international fares were displayed (from the old 'all in' to the 'each way' pricing). One thing that should be noted is that it's not a pricing glitch in the sense that the total fare is actually on par with the filed fare, but rather a glitch with the way the fare is displayed (i.e. as you indicated, the return changes after selecting the outbound). The algorithm that is used to determine the pricing for international trips such as this (e.g. with different cities involved) has always worked behind the scenes but before you weren't able to actually see the differences. I'm told that the final price is as it should be in this case, and we have tested this a few ways.
What should also be noted, interestingly enough, is that this anomaly didn't appear when we used YYZ instead of YTZ for the same city pairs (YYZ-BRU-YYJ). Suffice to say there is a chance we may revert to the old way of displaying fares if this kind of thing continues, as I'm sure you can appreciate we don't want customers to think we are misrepresenting the pricing.
Apologies for this glitch, but please let me explain:
This is an issue we recently discovered when we changed the way our international fares were displayed (from the old 'all in' to the 'each way' pricing). One thing that should be noted is that it's not a pricing glitch in the sense that the total fare is actually on par with the filed fare, but rather a glitch with the way the fare is displayed (i.e. as you indicated, the return changes after selecting the outbound). The algorithm that is used to determine the pricing for international trips such as this (e.g. with different cities involved) has always worked behind the scenes but before you weren't able to actually see the differences. I'm told that the final price is as it should be in this case, and we have tested this a few ways.
What should also be noted, interestingly enough, is that this anomaly didn't appear when we used YYZ instead of YTZ for the same city pairs (YYZ-BRU-YYJ). Suffice to say there is a chance we may revert to the old way of displaying fares if this kind of thing continues, as I'm sure you can appreciate we don't want customers to think we are misrepresenting the pricing.