Sorry American Airlines, you lost my business. Delta and United too. I booked my flight with LATAM!
Consumer Fleecing
I’ve been watching prices to Argentina for two months now, ever since making the commitment to climb Aconcagua. At that time, I remember seeing the best price to Mendoza on American Airlines at $1,473. I never saw that price again after my first day of looking. In fact, prices have bounced around between 1,578 and $3,108 in the past 60 days… a swing of over $1,600!
It is now back down to $2,550 at the time of this writing. Why? Why all the price manipulation? Why such manic fluctuation? Why isn’t the price just the price? I understand the law of supply and demand, but this “dynamic pricing” business model feels more like fleecing the consumer …and if the only reason they’re doing this is because they can, then in NO WAY does that make me want to be a loyal customer!
As for the other airlines, Delta priced themselves out right from the beginning with only two flights to choose from, both well over $3000. United wasn’t much better. They were more along the lines of American as their fares bounced around in similar ways. I almost pulled the trigger with United but was also getting more annoyed by the day watching this game of aggravating airfares. Maximizing profit potential through consumer fleecing makes me so irritated, I decided to take my business elsewhere.
Thank You LATAM
There are several Reels out there giving tips and tricks to help consumers compete in this game. I remembered one that suggested booking your travel from a city where prices are generally cheaper. Unsure of the truth in this claim, I also kept seeing reasonable prices from LATAM, an airline based in Latin America. Since that’s where I’d be traveling to, I began watching their prices.
Fares with LATAM have remained the most consistent… even as my departure date gets closer and closer. $800 there, $900 back. These prices haven’t changed in 30 days. Still not as good as $1,473 round trip, but also not over $2,000, I booked a flight before getting screwed – Thank you LATAM!
Do non-US airlines treat their customers better? Are they not playing this dynamic pricing game yet?
I have my favorite airline and none of the major US companies mentioned here are it. However, LATAM has already left a good impression on me and may end up being my preferred carrier for other highpoints in South and Central America. Who knows, maybe this experience was all meant to be…
