SQ - another airline that thinks we're stupid

[Asturias56]

Going London to Australia in Business later this year. Spend a cheerful hour or so checking the flights on all the usual suspects and also starting from Edinburgh, Birmingham, AMS and CDG.

Given the dates best option is SQ from London - lots of seats available. Oh damn! only put in 1 seat but need one for Senora A. Scrub & restart on SQ only to be told that the price is now 14% higher - this is 2 minutes after the original quote.

Wait 48 hours. Remove all SQ cookies from my PC, log into their French language site and get the same flights quoted at the original price in UKP. Lots of seats. Book flights, receive e-tickets.

They really must catch some people but it shows it pays to be a bit inventive.

[Uplinker]

I hate this sort of sharp practice, which is not far off fraud, in my book. Shame on them - and any others who do this.

[justapax]

Originally Posted by Uplinker

I hate this sort of sharp practice, which is not far off fraud, in my book. Shame on them - and any others who do this.

Any others? They all do it. Emirates has a blocker on Tor, so if you try to book a ticket using the Tor browser, they won't let you. The cheapest places to book from are usually Nigeria and India, and the most expensive is the UK. You need to register as a new customer with a new e-mail address each time, or they pick up your home address from your email and password and charge you UK prices.

[SpringHeeledJack]

I think it's tolerated because each single customer, with exceptions like the OP who play the system at it's own game, feel they are alone and it's them in a period of stress trying to secure tickets to a destination on a given date. When the price goes up on re-looking due to the cookies on said website alerting the airline that you're interested, said customer presses the buy button because they feel that if not they will lose said flights on said day OR the price will continue to rise. A sort of localised panic ensues. It IS blatant manipulation by the airline's algorithm but as long as dynamic pricing models exist in the industry, it will happen. Perhaps a class-action lawsuit will bring about change, but I won't hold my breath.

[justapax]

Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack

It IS blatant manipulation by the airline's algorithm but as long as dynamic pricing models exist in the industry, it will happen. Perhaps a class-action lawsuit will bring about change, but I won't hold my breath.

They may take other factors into account. Car insurers up your price if you look up competitive quotes in the middle of the night because they reckon night birds are risk takers. Certainly I noticed with Emirates that when I moved up from Blue tier to Silver tier (transferring points from Amex rewards), the prices went up just enough to absorb the extra Skywards rewards I'd accrued. So I booked my next flight as a new customer from Nigeria (30% cheaper) and kept the points for when I've flown (Silver tier earns 30% more points, they accrue once you've actually flown) to use on my next flight.

[Asturias56]

yes - we all know what is going on - a class action suit would be a disaster for the industry - dynamic pricing has ben around in some shape or form since the early 80's I think - and it affects almost EVERY passenger - that's a lot of compensation. Like Justapax I've noted similar strange behaviour with Insurance and other industries - it's often worth waiting until the very last minute to renew - even better wait for them to call you - then the boot is on the other foot.

[Uplinker]

With car insurance, I ask the person on the phone if there is anything they can do about the renewal price. They often can and do.

[Paul_from_Dublin]

The amount of crap that a passenger endures from the moment the idea of flying somewhere crosses their mind, through:

planning,
booking,
packing,
getting to the airport,
getting through the airport,
the boarding process,
enduring one's fellow passengers,
getting out through the airport at the far end,
transferring to one's final destination,
checking in to the accommodation....

...and assuming that all goes well throughout, it's quite surprising that so many people still do it.

In my case, having arrived at a stage in life where I have the time and the money to travel at will, all I lack is the will.
In fact, I usually fall at the first hurdle - the airlines taking the piss with their "dynamic pricing". A marketing triumph for the aviation industry no doubt but I can't be the only one who increasingly finds the motivation to take a holiday by car or train on their home landmass. Life's too short (and getting shorter every day) to waste it on air travel.

[Expatrick]

Time to spare, go by air.

[Asturias56]

Problem is that the Airline business has sold the model to the rest of Industry everywhere - its now a basis for any pricing of anything that has a sell by date

[justapax]

It's a model that works on the basis that we're all suckers. It won't be long before some script kiddie constructs an algorithm to make it look as if you are booking your flight from LHR to SYD from the cheapest home countries (Nigeria, India) and charging 1% of the airfare, thus making the script kiddie millions and costing the airlines billions. Come to think of it, I'll suggest it to my kids, they've grown up with computers and so know C++ and Python. It might be an interesting summer holiday project for them.

Anyone *can* buck the system at present if they know how to spoof their IP: I'm no computer wiz but at least I know how to do that. But it's a pain, and takes time, to get the reward of a £ 2300 saving.

Already everyone knows when you get your car insurance renewal that you will be penalised if you stay with the same company, you have to shop around every year. Booking airline tickets is more complicated, but the airlines price-fixing and discriminatory practices surely will go the same way - people will get wise. Or like Paul from Dublin, just not bother flying.

[Abrahn]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

yes - we all know what is going on

I strongly suspect we don't know what's going on, or at least what's going on isn't what you think it is.

Any use of behavioural data for price customisation should be mentioned in the privacy policy, and it isn't - at least not explicitly - and it would be very generous to consider it website or product customisation. That said they are using tech that would allow them to if they wanted.

Automated models aimed at influencing behaviour should be, as of 1st August, regulated by the EU so we might start to see more transparency.

[justapax]

Originally Posted by Abrahn

Automated models aimed at influencing behaviour should be, as of 1st August, regulated by the EU so we might start to see more transparency.

Ummm. new EU legislation from the EU doesn't affect the UK.

There are various ways of IPspoofing, varying for using Tor (Emirates have blocked that), to using a VPN (there are various VPNs that are free, if you only want use them once), or just knife-and-forking it. Any of them stop the airline ripping you off because you are in the UK.

The saving can be 30% of the fare compared with if you give your location as the UK.

[inbalance]

Originally Posted by Justapax1

Any others? They all do it. Emirates has a blocker on Tor, so if you try to book a ticket using the Tor browser, they won't let you. The cheapest places to book from are usually Nigeria and India, and the most expensive is the UK. You need to register as a new customer with a new e-mail address each time, or they pick up your home address from your email and password and charge you UK prices.

Prices are often higher if you are booking from an Apple/MAC Platform.

Spoiler

 

 



[Abrahn]

Originally Posted by Justapax1

Ummm. new EU legislation from the EU doesn't affect the UK.

Possibly want to take the wider discussion next door, but in this case the EU requiring companies that sell to or operate in the EU to be more transparent means everyone worldwide benefits.

I understand that the UK and US are likely to adopt almost identical legislation, the EU's work is widely seen as leading edge and sensible.

[sheepless]

I believe SQ have a dynamic pricing engine. Sometimes this turns up some good deals which may disappear or reappear depending on their algorithm. Recently looking to book out of JNB one cropped up that was cheaper than anything else. Next day gone but reappeared a few days later for an hour or so.

[Gne]

The other "feature" I've seen with SQ is that often the forward leg will be more expensive but when you look for a return it may be 0 additional cost depending on the day of return! If that return date doesn't suit, assuming you travel in the region frequently, you can take the return fare and park the return for a date change when needed and find a cheaper return leg for the day you require. Yes, most of the fares are changeable at no cost, at least in my experience over the past 18 months or so since I started looking at SQ.

Gne

[Asturias56]

That pricing only works if you make the out & return choice up front. I actually like it as it gives me the price for the round trip without having to add two different prices together

If you choose Business it gives you a set of choices such as Business Light, Standard etc - the cost of rebooking any flight, or canceling all together, varies with which option you choose.

[David_Stock]

Originally Posted by sheepless

I believe SQ have a dynamic pricing engine. Sometimes this turns up some good deals which may disappear or reappear depending on their algorithm. Recently looking to book out of JNB one cropped up that was cheaper than anything else. Next day gone but reappeared a few days later for an hour or so.

I disagree, but I respect your opinion. These companies are primarily focused on profit, not charity, as ironic as that might sound.

[Rush2112]

Yesterday the missus was trying to book SIN - CGK - SIN for a business trip on SQ. Initially she got a price of SGD792, which is pretty outrageous for a 90 minute flight, but as she was selecting her seats somehow the system crashed and she had to log in again and restart the process. Exactly the same flights were now SGD832!! Shockers.