WN mentioned in an article on dynamic pricing
Feb 25, 2018, 5:35 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,043
The one simple "targeting" I've seen is targeted by time of booking.
I've seen multiple third-party hotel sites routinely put up discounted hotel rates at the end of the business day and take them away the next morning, but leave them up all weekend. Ie, they put up one rate during business hours, and another rate outside of business hours. The point is to target leisure travelers and not most business travelers with those discount rates, on the assumption that business travelers mostly book during business hours. (in these cases, I was looking at hotels in the same time zone as myself.)
I've seen multiple third-party hotel sites routinely put up discounted hotel rates at the end of the business day and take them away the next morning, but leave them up all weekend. Ie, they put up one rate during business hours, and another rate outside of business hours. The point is to target leisure travelers and not most business travelers with those discount rates, on the assumption that business travelers mostly book during business hours. (in these cases, I was looking at hotels in the same time zone as myself.)
Feb 25, 2018, 5:43 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,043
Dynamic Pricing & Private Browsing
Does your browsing history determine price?
Here is a couple to get you started. You will have to find the rest. I would tell you to check on almost any airline forum.
Does your browsing history determine price?
Here is a couple to get you started. You will have to find the rest. I would tell you to check on almost any airline forum.
Feb 25, 2018, 7:11 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: CT USA
Posts: 2,577
Lots of breathless speculation in those threads with no definitive proof of anything. With current GDS systems, any airline that attempted to do individual targeting on a widespread basis could easily be detected by comparing prices on third party booking sites. The legal liabilities and bad press would almost certainly wipeout any profits from such schemes once detected. Obviously, this does not apply to airlines like WN that do not participate in GDS systems and allow third party bookings.
