AA.com pricing higher than Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
 

I was looking at MIA - SFO on 2/22 to 2/26 and kept noticing how the AA.com prices kept going up. I was hoping for decreases. I checked Expedia for price references on other airlines and was surprised to find AA's formerly lower prices available over a period of a few days of searching. I try to book my hotels on their sites for points, but I can't see any AAdvantage paying 25% more for AA.com?

Many, many people have reported different fares on AA.com versus other booking engines. This is nothing new. You should buy where you find the prices you like. Or you can try AA's Lowest Fare Guarantee.

Cheers.

I've noticed this too. I use to trust that the carriers site is the lowest but not anymore. Since they like to play that game then fine. I'll buy from Expedia and let them make some commission.

I've also had this work in my favor, though. Find a flight on a different sight and have it price out cheaper or have a more convenient routing on AA.com.

The weirdest is when AA calculates it wrong when you do the initial search, but if you choose the first segment, the second one comes out at a negative price. For example, there might be a flight for $300 on ITA, but AA says the lowest price for that day is $360--sometimes, if you choose the first segment for the flight, the second will give a price of -$60.

Weird.

I booked a first class R/T for us to SAN for Valentine's Day, and the price it gave to me was $300 cheaper on Kayak, even though it booked directly into the AA website. I checked AA.com on my notebook through my high speed card and the difference remained.

I can't use Kayak for business purposes, but it if continues to price out so differently and I get the EQMs/EQPs and have changeability on the website, I'll do it.

Try clearing cookies and don't login. You just never know.

You can always add your AA# later.

The reason for a cheaper prices on other sites is usually that they are better at finding routings with the lowest fare. The current lack of sorting on aa.com can also make it difficult to identify the lowest fare. Prices found can also be very sensitive to the specific times that are specified in the search. The lowest fares can usually be found on matrix.itasoftware.com, which searches the widest range of times and routings.

But there is very unlikely to be any difference when comparing itineraries with identical flights, except for multi-segment routings that have married segment restrictions that other sites can sometimes circumvent and book into a lower fare class on a segment by segment basis.

I have pretty much given up on airlines' own websites. It is far easier to book using OTA's like Expedia. You can avoid most of the up sell and other garbage offers this way.

I always have this secret suspicion that airline websites may charge higher prices if they see you are a frequent flier.

I have no proof, however.

For me it seems to happen when I use ITA matrix to price out something to Hawaii. Then when I go to AA.com the itinerary is a higher price. I cleared cookies and it showed up.

On another note, if you but outside of AA.com you may be hot with the external reservation handling fee:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Bookin...ternal_fee.jsp

All prices are based on availability in particular fare classes of published fares for particular routings. Availability can fluctuate and different sites can construct fares in different ways, but they are all using the same data. [Except in the rare instance that a site has access to unpublished fares!]

So I don't see any means for manipulation.

Why? All it does is send you to AA.com.

I has the same issue earlier this month: TPA-LHR purchased through aa.com was 400$ more than the same flights, classes and fare rules on Expedia. I filled out the request for the Lowest Price Guarantee but got nothing more than the auto reply.
Was getting a bit antsy so called to cancel the reservation (the same day I made it) and re-purchased my flights on Expedia. I immediately got an email from an actual person saying that since I had chosen t cancel my flights they would stop looking into the Lowest Fare Gaurantee.
Made me loose faith in aa.com and especially their Lowest Price Guarantee. I did not care about the $50 voucher or whatever it is they give ou, but did not want to pay the extra $400.

AA.com pricing higher than Expedia
 

Interesting. I could have sworn that a year or so ago AA was pulling their inventory from the consolidator websites to force people to book on AA.com. Did this change?

See AA "de-preferenced" by Expedia - "suspension" now lifted April 4, 2011.