Deceptive pricing on connecting itineraries {workaround to married segment pricing}
Feb 3, 2014, 9:04 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,634
Huh? The premise of FT is pro-consumer (for the most part). Isn't that why you create wiki's upon wiki's?
Seems to me that somebody is a little too interested in protecting his own private loophole. Maybe that's why this forum doesn't have a wiki on married segment logic?
Seems to me that somebody is a little too interested in protecting his own private loophole. Maybe that's why this forum doesn't have a wiki on married segment logic?
Feb 3, 2014, 9:09 am
#32
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
Definitely not a clever AAA-BBB+BBB-CCC workaround here on my part. UA is not showing their own filed fares accurately.
K fare for PIT-PHX is $284+tax roundtrip.
ETA: I see what you mean now, still deceptive IMO.
Last edited by golfingboy; Feb 3, 2014 at 9:22 am
Feb 3, 2014, 9:10 am
#33
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,624
I suppose that's one way to look at it.
Another is to say that United is both greedy AND stupid in its pricing/fare bucket structure.
United wants a spoke and hub system but wants to charge nonstop prices. Greedy.
But it can't set up its website to differentiate between a married connection and a series of nonstops. Stupid.
As Sykes points out, even if United fixed the stupid part, one could still just nest a series of lower fare-bucket tickets rather than combining them.
This is, as smb12 says in the OP, very much a buyer beware situation.
Another is to say that United is both greedy AND stupid in its pricing/fare bucket structure.
United wants a spoke and hub system but wants to charge nonstop prices. Greedy.
But it can't set up its website to differentiate between a married connection and a series of nonstops. Stupid.
As Sykes points out, even if United fixed the stupid part, one could still just nest a series of lower fare-bucket tickets rather than combining them.
This is, as smb12 says in the OP, very much a buyer beware situation.
Feb 3, 2014, 9:14 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Gold-MM, AA Gold-MM, F9-Silver, Hyatt Something, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,393
Feb 3, 2014, 9:18 am
#35
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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They WANT to be greedy but they're just don't have the skillz (technical OR management) to pull it off consistently!
Feb 3, 2014, 9:18 am
#36
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: ALB
Posts: 41
The issue here is the semantics/intent of the ".bomb lowest fare guarantee". If I called to book and selected AAA->BBB->CCC as a married connection, booking the same flight online should yield the same price. Now, if I called in and booked 2 nonstops AAA->BBB and BBB->CCC, then that is different from the first option, and .bomb would price that out at the same price.
However, would an agent actually let me book those 2 flight segments separately? Or would alarm bells go off and they would treat it as a married connection and make me pay the higher price? As many have already said, you're basically tricking the booking engine to generate a itinerary/fare that an agent would argue with you about.
However, would an agent actually let me book those 2 flight segments separately? Or would alarm bells go off and they would treat it as a married connection and make me pay the higher price? As many have already said, you're basically tricking the booking engine to generate a itinerary/fare that an agent would argue with you about.
Feb 3, 2014, 9:28 am
#37
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,624
The issue here is the semantics/intent of the ".bomb lowest fare guarantee". If I called to book and selected AAA->BBB->CCC as a married connection, booking the same flight online should yield the same price. Now, if I called in and booked 2 nonstops AAA->BBB and BBB->CCC, then that is different from the first option, and .bomb would price that out at the same price.
However, would an agent actually let me book those 2 flight segments separately? Or would alarm bells go off and they would treat it as a married connection and make me pay the higher price? As many have already said, you're basically tricking the booking engine to generate a itinerary/fare that an agent would argue with you about.
However, would an agent actually let me book those 2 flight segments separately? Or would alarm bells go off and they would treat it as a married connection and make me pay the higher price? As many have already said, you're basically tricking the booking engine to generate a itinerary/fare that an agent would argue with you about.
If a taxi charged $15 to go from your home to a restaurant via the grocery store, but $4 for home to the grocery store then $6 from the grocery store to the restaurant you'd be incredulous.
But somehow in the world of aviation it makes perfect sense. <shrug>
Feb 3, 2014, 9:34 am
#38
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Colorado
Programs: UA Gold (.85 MM), HH Diamond, SPG Platinum (LT Gold), Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 5,662
Prior to the merger, United would almost always show the cheapest routing without jumping through hoops. Sometimes a search for COS-OGG would offer something like COS-DEN-LAX-PDX-SFO-OGG for example. The opportunity to save some significant dollars was straight forward, and the consumer could decide if the connections justified the savings.
Now, I spend more time searching in different ways for a simple city pair, just to make sure I'm spending my employer's money in the most efficient way. This, combined with the many other changes has proven frustrating to say the least.
Now, I spend more time searching in different ways for a simple city pair, just to make sure I'm spending my employer's money in the most efficient way. This, combined with the many other changes has proven frustrating to say the least.
Feb 3, 2014, 9:45 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DEN
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Prior to the merger, United would almost always show the cheapest routing without jumping through hoops. Sometimes a search for COS-OGG would offer something like COS-DEN-LAX-PDX-SFO-OGG for example. The opportunity to save some significant dollars was straight forward, and the consumer could decide if the connections justified the savings.
To be fair, I blame Apple. Over the past 5 years, it seems that anything on the web has been catered to the lowest idiot, because that's what sells. We're in an era where simplicity is favored over complete information. So United can rightly say 'oh, we're making it simple for consumers'.
We KNOW what they want.
We will tell them what they want.
And we will only give them what we tell them they want.
(Who does that sound like?)
Feb 3, 2014, 9:47 am
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
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While UA's systems are now crap, this is one of a couple ways to work it to your advantage (queue jumping w/R space another)
Feb 3, 2014, 9:58 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DEN
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We've already had the mispriced iPad, which apparently it's OK to buy one of, but you're not allowed to pricematch against it! LOL.
Now we get the taxi driver! (which actually seems spot on, BTW)
Feb 3, 2014, 10:04 am
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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The real problem is that this system makes 'airline logic' sense, but does not make 'logical' sense.
If a taxi charged $15 to go from your home to a restaurant via the grocery store, but $4 for home to the grocery store then $6 from the grocery store to the restaurant you'd be incredulous.
But somehow in the world of aviation it makes perfect sense. <shrug>
If a taxi charged $15 to go from your home to a restaurant via the grocery store, but $4 for home to the grocery store then $6 from the grocery store to the restaurant you'd be incredulous.
But somehow in the world of aviation it makes perfect sense. <shrug>
Feb 3, 2014, 10:17 am
#44
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TUS and any place close to a lav
Programs: UA 1.6MM
Posts: 5,423
Thanks for posting this Seth.
The same logic hold true when pricing out international trips as well. Sometimes specifying the stop in NRT on the way to SIN gets a lower price.
The same logic hold true when pricing out international trips as well. Sometimes specifying the stop in NRT on the way to SIN gets a lower price.