Does Airlines make exceptions for the Digital Divide?
Jan 12, 2009 | 3:45 pm
#16
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NYC
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IIRC, virtually every major airlines charge phone service fee (please correct me if I'm wrong here).
UA doesn't even waiver phone ticketing fees for the things that cannot be booked on united.com, so I highly doubt airlines will waive fee for OP's aunt.
Jan 12, 2009 | 4:36 pm
#17
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: USA, Europe
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Yes. it absolutely is, and it's not just AA. It's a pricing scheme called second-degree price discrimination. You know it as a senior citizen discount or a student discount. On AA, you know it as a lower price if you are willing to book two-weeks in advance or stay Saturday night. The point is that AA (or any business) will work very hard to extract as much money as possible from those willing to pay it. As AA sees it, I (net savvy) am not willing to pay, while your aunt is (or she could find some way not to). Technology has not raised the price for your aunt, it has simply lowered overall cost to all passengers by finding a way to differentiate between two levels of willingness to pay.
I guarantee you that as soon as most (or even many) people refuse to book AA because of the fee, that fee would go away because it would be an ineffective way to extract additional revenue from those willing to pay it.
I guarantee you that as soon as most (or even many) people refuse to book AA because of the fee, that fee would go away because it would be an ineffective way to extract additional revenue from those willing to pay it.
Airlines are not trying to extract the extra $20 from an old person. They are simply trying to discourage people from booking by phone because of the costs involved in paying the agents. Ideally, the airlines would like it if EVERYONE would book online (not to mention make changes online, select seats online, check-in online, etc. - also partially why fees for some of these things sometimes exist). That would save them a LOT of money.
Jan 12, 2009 | 4:53 pm
#18
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Jan 12, 2009 | 5:01 pm
#19
Join Date: Nov 2007
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The "digital divide" on a global scale is, I'd imagine, part of the reason why airlines don't charge telephone booking fees everywhere.
This is also a cultural thing. People in Bermuda are still conditioned to dealing with a real person. Local travel agencies charge $50 per booking and still have very brisk business. DL, for instance, does not charge a fee for telephone or in-person bookings for flights originating Bermuda. People here would completely stop buying DL tickets.
This is also a cultural thing. People in Bermuda are still conditioned to dealing with a real person. Local travel agencies charge $50 per booking and still have very brisk business. DL, for instance, does not charge a fee for telephone or in-person bookings for flights originating Bermuda. People here would completely stop buying DL tickets.
Jan 13, 2009 | 1:13 am
#20
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 386
I don't know how to work on cars.
My neighbor is a mechanic and he fixes his own cars.
I pay 350 bucks to have a timing belt replaced whereas he pays just 60 bucks for parts and replaces his own.
Am I being taxed for lacking the knowledge to work on cars?
My neighbor is a mechanic and he fixes his own cars.
I pay 350 bucks to have a timing belt replaced whereas he pays just 60 bucks for parts and replaces his own.
Am I being taxed for lacking the knowledge to work on cars?
Jan 13, 2009 | 8:40 am
#22
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Gulf Coast/Ventura County/Somewhere in between
Programs: DL GM, Marriott PP, Avis Something or other
Posts: 4,432
Yes. it absolutely is, and it's not just AA. It's a pricing scheme called second-degree price discrimination. You know it as a senior citizen discount or a student discount. On AA, you know it as a lower price if you are willing to book two-weeks in advance or stay Saturday night. The point is that AA (or any business) will work very hard to extract as much money as possible from those willing to pay it. As AA sees it, I (net savvy) am not willing to pay, while your aunt is (or she could find some way not to). Technology has not raised the price for your aunt, it has simply lowered overall cost to all passengers by finding a way to differentiate between two levels of willingness to pay.
I guarantee you that as soon as most (or even many) people refuse to book AA because of the fee, that fee would go away because it would be an ineffective way to extract additional revenue from those willing to pay it.
I guarantee you that as soon as most (or even many) people refuse to book AA because of the fee, that fee would go away because it would be an ineffective way to extract additional revenue from those willing to pay it.
For profit and everything????
