"Sale" price $400 higher than booking made 4 days ago
Aug 19, 2022, 6:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: YYG
Programs: airlines and hotels and rental cars - oh my!
Posts: 3,000
"Sale" price $400 higher than booking made 4 days ago
Booked a work trip to Europe on Monday. Today, I received the marketing email telling me it's time to book fall travel to Europe. So I tried rebooking the identical itinerary using the supplied promo code. Cost came out $398 higher on sale.
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
Aug 19, 2022, 7:36 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 38
Booked a work trip to Europe on Monday. Today, I received the marketing email telling me it's time to book fall travel to Europe. So I tried rebooking the identical itinerary using the supplied promo code. Cost came out $398 higher on sale.
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
Aug 19, 2022, 10:01 am
#4
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan, TD.
Posts: 467
Booked a work trip to Europe on Monday. Today, I received the marketing email telling me it's time to book fall travel to Europe. So I tried rebooking the identical itinerary using the supplied promo code. Cost came out $398 higher on sale.
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
I'm happy I booked when I did, but seriously ...
Aug 19, 2022, 1:28 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YLW
Programs: AC- SE100 1MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, National Executive, Nexus/GE
Posts: 4,318
This has been an ongoing issue, AC sales are really not sales. I wait until after the sale to buy and then use a promo code.
It's like when you walk into some stores and the prices are big in yellow or tred tags, people think its on sale, but it's the regular price. Nothing illegal or wrong with that, as the consumer assumes, and you know what that means.
I think all airlines needs to publish their prices with regulators so based on the MSRP, it is a sale, lol
It's like when you walk into some stores and the prices are big in yellow or tred tags, people think its on sale, but it's the regular price. Nothing illegal or wrong with that, as the consumer assumes, and you know what that means.
I think all airlines needs to publish their prices with regulators so based on the MSRP, it is a sale, lol
Aug 19, 2022, 1:50 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YVR - MILLS Waypoint (It's the third house on the left)
Programs: AC*SE100K, wood level status in various other programs
Posts: 6,232
Aug 19, 2022, 1:59 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YLW
Programs: AC- SE100 1MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, National Executive, Nexus/GE
Posts: 4,318
Aug 19, 2022, 4:28 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: YYG
Programs: airlines and hotels and rental cars - oh my!
Posts: 3,000
Sep 3, 2022, 10:47 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2021
Programs: Aeroplan Super Elite
Posts: 101
Unless it's a sale that involves entering a promo code to get the discount, I've never found it to actually be a "sale". I used to do the same as OP (check prices for already-booked but refundable fares to see if it's lower with the sale), but now I no longer bother.
When a promo code is involved, it has to be an actual sale because AC's posted prices (without the code) still need to be competitive with other airlines so things like Google Flights and Expedia rank AC flights competitively, and the promo gives a discount off that. When there's no promo, there's no accountability of this type and, from my experience, is pretty much just a scam.
When a promo code is involved, it has to be an actual sale because AC's posted prices (without the code) still need to be competitive with other airlines so things like Google Flights and Expedia rank AC flights competitively, and the promo gives a discount off that. When there's no promo, there's no accountability of this type and, from my experience, is pretty much just a scam.
Sep 4, 2022, 6:03 am
#13
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 56,450
So the expectation is that fares should never change? OP's flights could've filled up in 5-days leaving only higher priced fare levels to go on sale but other flights on other dates could be the same or lower than what was paid however without more analysis it's impossible to know.
Maybe a disclaimed needs to be applied like in mutual fund industry that past fare performance does not indicate future fare levels.
Maybe a disclaimed needs to be applied like in mutual fund industry that past fare performance does not indicate future fare levels.
Sep 4, 2022, 4:11 pm
#15
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,570
This has been an ongoing issue, AC sales are really not sales. I wait until after the sale to buy and then use a promo code.
It's like when you walk into some stores and the prices are big in yellow or tred tags, people think its on sale, but it's the regular price. Nothing illegal or wrong with that, as the consumer assumes, and you know what that means.
I think all airlines needs to publish their prices with regulators so based on the MSRP, it is a sale, lol
It's like when you walk into some stores and the prices are big in yellow or tred tags, people think its on sale, but it's the regular price. Nothing illegal or wrong with that, as the consumer assumes, and you know what that means.
I think all airlines needs to publish their prices with regulators so based on the MSRP, it is a sale, lol
One could well make the argument that branded fares and all the rest of it are inherently deceptive... But this weeks complaint that something a sale price today is $400 more than the same thing 4 years ago is laughable; todays price could well be $800 less than yesterdays price. And the price remembered from 4 years ago was 14+ days out, not within that, and thus be very different things.