The Department of Transportation cited an example recently of airlines that don't follow through on pledges to offer consumers the lowest fare for which they are eligible when they make a reservation by telephone. And then there are the nonrefundable tickets, others that incur substantial penalties for changes, tickets sold by discounters and consolidators, and frequent flier members who have miles they can't redeem. Many people pay too much for flying the friendly skies and smart consumers who use high-powered computers can find themselves paying too much also. It takes patience, time and expertise for an experienced agent to wade through the myriad airline restrictions and regulations to search and find the lowest fare. And it is not unusual for agents to quote different fares for an itinerary because of such factors as travel day and time, fare and seat availability, length of stay, connections, age, and numerous other factors.
Airlines have an incredibly confusing pricing structure.
And what is interesting now is that airlines are making huge investments in Internet web sites to make them user friendly and convenient for consumers to click and buy. Through their web site reservations, airlines hope to eliminate their own reservation agents and replace them with computers. Don't expect them to reduce their fares. Instead, you can expect them to replace their flight attendants with robots, eliminate overhead bins, reconfigure airplanes to bleacher seating with benches, pack in more passengers, and install food and drink dispensing machines in cabins. Airlines can then make a whole lot more profits and go on taking the flying public for a bigger ride in the friendly sky.