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Easyjet Flexi - how to counter discriminatory pricing on Flexi fares

Easyjet Flexi - how to counter discriminatory pricing on Flexi fares

Old Sep 21, 2016, 4:15 am
  #1  
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Easyjet Flexi - how to counter discriminatory pricing on Flexi fares

Airfares are the classic example of pricing changing according to the time one books - that's OK.

But discriminatory pricing is offering different prices to different people at the same moment in time.
That's not OK to me.

The prices Easyjet shows me for Flexi tickets vary widely.
It seems that if I look at too many options, the price goes up?
Yesterday was the worst so far: I had selected a fare at about 90, and just as I went to pay it said "Price has changed to 175".

How does one counter this?
- Logging out worked today
- If already logged out, I have sometimes waited a day or two
- Does using a VPN to show their system a different IP address work?
- Does it matter whether one clicks Flexi before Three Weeks rather than after?
- Other?

For flights betwen LGW and GVA/ZCH I am always shown over 200 each way for Flexi in the next two/three weeks.
Is this Discriminatory Pricing, or does it apply to everybody because they have decided that there is too much price-insensitive business traffic on these routes?

Last edited by zsalya_fly; Sep 21, 2016 at 4:19 am Reason: to make more specific
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 4:28 am
  #2  
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It's not discrimination. It's just business. Thanks to deregulation, there is never a single set price for all passengers on a single plane. The airlines are within their rights to vary their fares in any way they see fit. You are never obliged to accept any price offer.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...story/2021993/

Don't relentlessly flood a website with the same, or similar, searches. It indicates a high degree of probability that you have to travel on this route and/or dates. To encourage you to book, they may start to raise their prices.

All airlines charge the highest amount they think they can get away with. Don't display behaviour [a must-fly-this-route-on-these-dates flyer, rather than a casual browser] that gives them the signal to start raising prices. If you must "play around", use one of the pricetracker websites rather than dealing with the airline website directly.

Note also that airlines tend to (drastically) raise prices as the day of departure approaches. The cheapest tickets tend to have advance purchase requirements, so these cheap tickets just are no longer available after expiry of these advance purchase deadlines. Late-booked travel indicates business or other essential reasons for travel - meaning that the passenger will be prepared to pay more than a leisure traveller.

Last edited by irishguy28; Sep 21, 2016 at 4:34 am
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 4:28 am
  #3  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Based on what do you suggest easyjet discriminates you?
Everything you describe is different times to the same person, which is normal of course.
It can also always be that when you search for a fare and start going through the booking process, this seat is removed from general availability for X minutes/hours, so if you search again 5 minutes later... it will not be there.

There are some people who suggest deleting browser cookies might help reducing the price in some OTAs, maybe it is also the case with easyjet.
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 4:50 am
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by Ditto
There are some people who suggest deleting browser cookies might help reducing the price in some OTAs, maybe it is also the case with easyjet.
No - and they say so themselves here, in the video:

How does our fare pricing work?
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 7:04 am
  #5  
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Thank you for that link.
Specifically "we don't change prices based on you 'internet history'".
On any reasonable meaning of that term, that is no longer true (NB I am referring to Flexi fares only)
Generally "we try to open and upfront in everything we do" and "always open and upfront".
Discriminatory Pricing is certainly not illegal, but I suggest it is not "open and upfront".

That link did also include their Price Promise, which one could presumably use to get the relevant credit.
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