metalblaze

Looking for a quick work trip ex-NYC to SEA, and DL prices for F are inflated by ~40%!

I’m a hard core DL & SkyTeam loyalist, but this is pushing my tolerance…especially, since the SkyMiles “enhancements”.

spongenotbob

The answer to this problem is extremely obvious. Delta is betting you will remain in the flock. Don’t be a sheep.

shoodawg

i would be purchasing the Alaska flight.

nebraskaboy

I’m pretty certain that Delta, like pretty much every airline and hotel chain, uses automated software (with some human inputs) to maximize pricing on every flight. Usually this is based on historical day of week, lead time, cabin occupancy, competitor pricing, and many other inputs. If they’ve already sold a few seats in the F cabin, that may explain the pricing you are seeing at this moment. Or, if they are pricing high and see no movement, the price might drop.

I also see JetBlue at a very similar price. Perhaps they are pegging more closely to their pricing on this route. We also have no idea what kind of contract seats Delta historically sells to companies at a discount on this route for your travel dates. Perhaps selling a couple of seats at this higher price will offset that discounting to maximize the overall revenue. So many factors that we’ll never know that go into this tiny snapshot of pricing.

That said, why not just buy the Alaska flight if you’re flying F anyway? You’d have all of the usual delta amenities + lounge access included!

Bear96

Well, if that is what DL is charging, I guess you have no choice but to pay it.

metalblaze

Fully agree - the issue that is such increases have more or less become the norm for DL regardless of the routes or travel dates….and that is because there are folks who are willing to pay more for the “premium experience” (real or perceived).

Weekend Away

Such price gauging, proceeds to show competitive, inline with the market, pricing.

Eastbay1K

I would be quite surprised if DL didn't have published fares in various seat buckets that match the competition, and those are gone, and will remain gone unless the higher buckets don't get filled, and then DL will release more inventory in the lower seat buckets.

jgers1j

Alaska has always undercut Delta on JFK - SEA and Delta will continue to charge more until the market doesn't tolerate it. Frankly, with Alaska joining One World and having closer ties to AA, I don't see the market bearing Delta's premium much longer on this route.

Delta is not charging more for a "premium" experience on this route. In NYC markets where Delta competes directly on the route (no JFK/EWR difference) with similar frequency to AA or UA, i.e. LGA - ORD, LGA - DFW, JFK - LAX, you may see a $30-$50 premium charged by Delta. Frankly, its worth paying for reliability. On this route Delta is charging a premium over UA for JFK and over Alaska for frequency and connectivity. For all we know, Delta matched the Alaska fare on the number of seats Alaska offers.

What OP is missing is the opportunity to fly Jet Blue in Mint for the same price as Delta 1st class.

ATOBTTR

In addition to the fact that DL may have already sold the number of lower fare buckets that were more in-line with UA's and AS's fares, we're also only seeing one-way options of round-trip fare pricing. The cheaper options on UA and AS could be pairing with cheaper returns but if paired with similar return options, could price out to the same as the DL flight (or maybe not but we certainly can't tell that from the info provided in the threat starter), among numerous other factors that go into the complexities of airline fare pricing.

And yes, concur on the opportunity to fly Mint here if one is shelling out for the premium cabin on this route since DL is now using A321NEOs with a standard F recliner seat while B6 is using a Mint-equipped cabin.

xliioper

DL FC fares on JFK-SEA start at $749 one-way (V class underlying Z fares with 14 day AP). B6/AS/UA have one-way fares starting in the $544 - $574 range. So DL doesn't quite go as low as competitors for this market pair. Having hubs on both ends likely gives DL somewhat more pricing power. At the end of day, DL RM systems are probably looking more at historical and current demand for each flight to determine bucket availability (since domestic FC fares are dual-inventory, coach bucket availability can also somewhat influence FC fares), and probably not so much comparing against competitor fare class availability/pricing. As others have noted, no one is forcing OP to fly DL.

Just finished a trip from DTW-MSP and flew UA instead of DL because UA fares where half as much as $700 roundtrip DL coach fares available for days I wanted to travel. Not a UA elite, so splurged a bit and bought $80 FCM upgrade offer on ORD-DTW segment (FA even managed to do a couple drink runs in FC).

sfozrhfco

DL can charge whatever they like and passengers can pay it or fly the competition. Choose the flight with the best product--B6---or take the cheapest one if you are trying to save money. Nobody has a gun to your head to fly on DL and over pay for an inferior product. If more people chose other airlines DL would lower the price. Act in your own self interest instead of DLs.

FenwayTim

Not sure which planes the Delta flight was, but usually the A321 Neo (which I personally like) is more then the standard 737 fares for FC... However, the Alaska flights is what I would choose in this comparison.... If its easier to get to JFK then EWR for you then that would be the one.. Big experience difference flying out of those 2 airport on Alaska... EWR your cringing and exasperated, Alaska you can use their lounge (still pretty nice after all these years) and have a mostly empty terminal except in the late afternoon/evening when the international flights take off out of T7...
Not sure if your one of the ones leaving, waiting or staying, but if you leaving DL program in the future then might be a good start in the AA/AS programs.. Both have good reciprocal benefits for each other and create quite a few flights options for most..

AfterHour

The answer to this problem is extremely obvious. Delta has plenty of loyalists, you are just one of many.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

Click bait thread title as it is not price gouging.Price gouging is when the price of a good or service are raised to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Delta's price is just a more expensive product. Don't like the price take your business elsewhere rather than complaining.