Fare Inventory Idea
 

Woes about airlines giving you the run-around with regards to availability for upgrades, award tickets, or those deeply discounted fares?

I propose this idea. I think almost everyone here is familiar with itn.net and its "expert mode" features that shows all the inventory classes.

Idea: Display all codes, including the upgrade classes and award classes. ALSO, I think they should show how many seats have been alloted for each class (9 can still mean 9+), in addition to the number avail.

I believe its a consumer's right to know if seats are allotted for a specific fare class.

e.g. NW Airlines

9/9F 0/0A 9/9J 9/9C 0/0D 9/9Y 9/9W 9/9B 9/9Q 9/9V 9/9K

What do you think? The only downside with this idea is that the customer will know more, and the airlines will have a harder time lying or making up stories. <sarcasm>

- Pat

That would be nice, but if the consumer knows it, the competitors know it.

That might be regarded as collusion or price fixing. I'm no expert on this, but I have had a lot of contact lately with the U.S. Dept. of Justice -- and they seem sensitive about these things.

Good answer to counter my suggestion.
So to compromise then, what about indicating whether or not seats are released? Sounds fair enough?

eg. airfare specials/award tix (hypothetically) $800 airfare on WestNorth Airlines ( http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ) from JFK-MNL RT for outbound travel in December xx-yy, return any time. Book in "V" class only. But WestNorth does not have any "V" class seats released at all between Dec xx-yy. Or perhaps they just have one-two seats released on one day to technically make it legal.

I just get irritated when airlines tell me discounted fares/award tix are not avail because they're "sold out", when in fact that not seats have been allotted or will be allotted (and it's not a black-out date). And they tell me that I should have booked earlier. (No need to get into the details. :|)

- Pat