Talk about obvious price gouging. This shit should be illegal!
As a CFL fan, trying to book a flight, I looked at AC and Westjet to get my Dad out to YYZ for the big game as he is a huge Bomber Fan. Miraculously the fares had all doubled right after the Win yesterday. Now I understand supply and demand, and if the seats are gone, well the seats are gone; and you have to pay for what is left. I understand how the fares work.
But then for the hell of it I checked what the poor bastards in Saskatchewan were paying to get here too.
How is this right? For next Monday:
AC8465 YYZ-YEG with a stop in YXE on the way is $488.00 + taxes.
AC8465 YYZ-YXE. The same goddamn flight and plane is $1286.00 + taxes
So in other words if you book a flight to YEG and just take a carry on bag, you can save $800.00 by not going all the way and just walking off the plane when it stops in YXE.
There are no Tango or Tango Plus fares to Saskatoon on that flight, but they are both available on the same Aircraft going through to Edmonton?? WTF Over!!
This should be illegal. AC, I hope all the CFL fans see this and find another way to get to Toronto. I also hope they all remember it the next time they book a flight anywhere. Grey Cup weekend is short, but peoples memories are hopefully long.
AC - This is just wrong!!
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
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Mitch Cronin
- Rank 8
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- Location: Right beside my dog again...
I reckon what ought to be illegal is any fella who refers to himself as a "Pie Lot" bitchin' and moanin' about the measely price of a bloody airline ticket these days!
This whole industry is going down the dumper because people think they can fly cheaper then they can take the bus... and you're pushing too are you? ... a pilot?
This whole industry is going down the dumper because people think they can fly cheaper then they can take the bus... and you're pushing too are you? ... a pilot?
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200hr Wonder
- Rank 10
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- Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 1:52 pm
- Location: CYVR
- Contact:
An oldie but a goodie ...
If AC Sold Paint
Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things.
Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?
Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that $12 paint.
Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?
Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks. But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be *&%^#@* kidding!
Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available.
Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!
Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price per gallon just went to $16. We don't have any more $12 paint.
Customer: The price went up as we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I'll have enough.
Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: WHAT?
Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will lose your remaining gallons of paint.
Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already paid you for it!
Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used, every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems.
Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!
Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the $200 paint.
Customer: But what are all these, "Paint on sale from $10 a liter" signs?
Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in half- gallons. One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second half- gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans.
Customer: To hell with this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else!
Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway from anyone but us. And I should point out, sir, that if you paint in only one direction, it will be $300 a gallon.
Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!
Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which you started. A hallway is different.
Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint.
Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on your next gallon of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir.
Customer: You're insane!
Clerk: Thanks for painting with Air Canada.
If AC Sold Paint
Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things.
Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?
Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that $12 paint.
Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?
Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks. But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be *&%^#@* kidding!
Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available.
Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!
Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price per gallon just went to $16. We don't have any more $12 paint.
Customer: The price went up as we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I'll have enough.
Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: WHAT?
Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will lose your remaining gallons of paint.
Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already paid you for it!
Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used, every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems.
Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night!
Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the $200 paint.
Customer: But what are all these, "Paint on sale from $10 a liter" signs?
Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in half- gallons. One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second half- gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans.
Customer: To hell with this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else!
Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway from anyone but us. And I should point out, sir, that if you paint in only one direction, it will be $300 a gallon.
Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!
Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which you started. A hallway is different.
Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint.
Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on your next gallon of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir.
Customer: You're insane!
Clerk: Thanks for painting with Air Canada.
Mitch:
You missed the whole point, mutt. I'm not here to talk about fares and wages. I'm talking about deliberately screwing over a group of sports fans. Hey, if you're going to the Grey Cup we'll charge you an extra $800 than the guys going to Edmonton for whatever reason. It's the same plane, flight number etc. And it has to stop in YXE. This has nothing to do with fares and pilot wages. If the fare was $1280 to YEG and $1280 to YXE. Then fine, like I said (if you had bothered to read my whole post), the fare is the fare and pay it or not. Hell if I was a fan in YXE I would book the YEG flight, and just take a carry on and walk off in YXE and not reboard. Then I would ship the rest of my luggage for the weekend as freight. Way cheaper and a good F U to the AC price gougers.
I booked on WestJet by the way for $249.00. Always like them better anyway.
You missed the whole point, mutt. I'm not here to talk about fares and wages. I'm talking about deliberately screwing over a group of sports fans. Hey, if you're going to the Grey Cup we'll charge you an extra $800 than the guys going to Edmonton for whatever reason. It's the same plane, flight number etc. And it has to stop in YXE. This has nothing to do with fares and pilot wages. If the fare was $1280 to YEG and $1280 to YXE. Then fine, like I said (if you had bothered to read my whole post), the fare is the fare and pay it or not. Hell if I was a fan in YXE I would book the YEG flight, and just take a carry on and walk off in YXE and not reboard. Then I would ship the rest of my luggage for the weekend as freight. Way cheaper and a good F U to the AC price gougers.
I booked on WestJet by the way for $249.00. Always like them better anyway.
Pie Lot,
I see your concern but will not sympathize. Canada has a market economy and your frustration is an excellent example of it. It's like you said, supply and demand. The airlines see that this is a special event (ie:super bowl) and have the right to raise their prices to the optimum level.
You, as a consumer, have a choice. You're either willing to pay the price or not. No one is forcing you to buy a ticket and this is not a life and death situation either. Consider your other choices: car, bus, train, tv.
On a side note, forget about CFL, it's all about HOCKEY.
Have a good one.
I see your concern but will not sympathize. Canada has a market economy and your frustration is an excellent example of it. It's like you said, supply and demand. The airlines see that this is a special event (ie:super bowl) and have the right to raise their prices to the optimum level.
You, as a consumer, have a choice. You're either willing to pay the price or not. No one is forcing you to buy a ticket and this is not a life and death situation either. Consider your other choices: car, bus, train, tv.
On a side note, forget about CFL, it's all about HOCKEY.
Have a good one.
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Mitch Cronin
- Rank 8
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- Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:15 am
- Location: Right beside my dog again...
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the_professor
- Rank (9)
- Posts: 1130
- Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:03 pm
Prices are too low? And that's why Westjet has been profitable in every quarter, save one, since their inception. All while expanding at a fast pace and flying one of the youngest fleets of aircraft anywhere on the globe.200hr Wonder wrote:I agree with both of you. Increasing prices just for a big weekend... Grey Cup for example is gouging... but yes prices as a whole are way too low.
Yep, prices are too low...
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Mitch Cronin
- Rank 8
- Posts: 914
- Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:15 am
- Location: Right beside my dog again...
Professor, do you live in a bubble? Does the WJ story exemplify what's gone on in aviation since their inception?... or mightn't they be something more of an exception?
...don't you think it might be worth considering all the airplanes that fly (and occasionally refuse to) with one too many snags, or too many tired old parts, ...or all the hard working young pilots and AME's who earn a ridiculous joke of a salary while working with underfunded junk... all to keep the cost of that ticket down....
yep, prices are too low, despite what spin doctors will say.
...don't you think it might be worth considering all the airplanes that fly (and occasionally refuse to) with one too many snags, or too many tired old parts, ...or all the hard working young pilots and AME's who earn a ridiculous joke of a salary while working with underfunded junk... all to keep the cost of that ticket down....
yep, prices are too low, despite what spin doctors will say.
Mitch,
If you're familiar with the airline industry, then you should be familiar with the fare schedule.
AC isn't gouging you because of the Grey Cup. They're gouging you because you are waiting til the last week to book a flight.
Tango fares aren't offered because they have more than likely been sold off already. AC (or any other airline for that matter) doesn't offer every seat at a "Tango" or economy fare for ever.
If you want to travel cheap, book at least 1 week ahead, and for high demand periods, even sooner.
I really don't think this is a CFL consipiracy. It still sucks though.
By the way Mitch, if you think it's expensive to fly, remember a few years back when Canadian was still around? That flight to Toronto would have been about three times that price.
If you're familiar with the airline industry, then you should be familiar with the fare schedule.
AC isn't gouging you because of the Grey Cup. They're gouging you because you are waiting til the last week to book a flight.
Tango fares aren't offered because they have more than likely been sold off already. AC (or any other airline for that matter) doesn't offer every seat at a "Tango" or economy fare for ever.
If you want to travel cheap, book at least 1 week ahead, and for high demand periods, even sooner.
I really don't think this is a CFL consipiracy. It still sucks though.
By the way Mitch, if you think it's expensive to fly, remember a few years back when Canadian was still around? That flight to Toronto would have been about three times that price.
I didn't believe it, but just checked it as well.
I can't believe that, yxe-yyz prices are rediculous.
The Monday flight is cheapest at $1078 and there is only the one flight available as was already said with no tango fares.
But the kicker to me is $1326-1462 for direct executive class. WOW
I fly the RJ and would NEVER fly the executive class on that thing especially for that pirce.
Cold meal, no carry on space for bags. thats amazing
I can't believe that, yxe-yyz prices are rediculous.
The Monday flight is cheapest at $1078 and there is only the one flight available as was already said with no tango fares.
But the kicker to me is $1326-1462 for direct executive class. WOW
I fly the RJ and would NEVER fly the executive class on that thing especially for that pirce.
Cold meal, no carry on space for bags. thats amazing
Everyone:
Listen!! I am not talking about the fares being high for Grey Cup! That is a no brainer. I am saying to take the same aircraft to Saskatoon is $1300. If you stay on that same plane. Same Aircraft, same flight number. Not just the same airline. If you book that flight number to Edmonton, then just walk off in Saskatoon and not reboard when it leaves 20 mins later for Edmonton, you save $800. That's whats wrong. Not the high fares in General. And by yhe way I'm not complaining about my wage. Happy actually. It's just that no matter what you make, why would you throw away $800 because someone is gouging you, when a little research shows you could book to YEG walk off in YXE and save $800.
And to all of you that think fares are too low. Next time you book a trip home on AC, please book Latitude, or Executive. You all think high fares are good, and my buddies that are sitting here right now that work for them, request you deliberately pay inflated prices to help their profit sharing. My one buddy thinks he will get an extra 10c. He says thanks to you other pilots that like paying premium dollar for your personal travel!
Listen!! I am not talking about the fares being high for Grey Cup! That is a no brainer. I am saying to take the same aircraft to Saskatoon is $1300. If you stay on that same plane. Same Aircraft, same flight number. Not just the same airline. If you book that flight number to Edmonton, then just walk off in Saskatoon and not reboard when it leaves 20 mins later for Edmonton, you save $800. That's whats wrong. Not the high fares in General. And by yhe way I'm not complaining about my wage. Happy actually. It's just that no matter what you make, why would you throw away $800 because someone is gouging you, when a little research shows you could book to YEG walk off in YXE and save $800.
And to all of you that think fares are too low. Next time you book a trip home on AC, please book Latitude, or Executive. You all think high fares are good, and my buddies that are sitting here right now that work for them, request you deliberately pay inflated prices to help their profit sharing. My one buddy thinks he will get an extra 10c. He says thanks to you other pilots that like paying premium dollar for your personal travel!
Pie Lot,
You need to be a little careful with your advice of booking to YEG and getting off at YXE. If you do that, there's a very good chance the airline will charge you at least the difference.
As far as the difference goes, there's obviously more demand for the YYZ-YXE seats. That's the way it works. There's a very good chance that you could have picked up cheaper fares if you booked early.
I've experienced significant fare increases by just delaying buying tickets for one day. Unfortunately, sometimes I can't book flights a week before so I have to suck it up.
I just thought of an idea though. Somebody should charter and airplane and sell seats. You can call it the Grey Cup express or something like that.
You need to be a little careful with your advice of booking to YEG and getting off at YXE. If you do that, there's a very good chance the airline will charge you at least the difference.
As far as the difference goes, there's obviously more demand for the YYZ-YXE seats. That's the way it works. There's a very good chance that you could have picked up cheaper fares if you booked early.
I've experienced significant fare increases by just delaying buying tickets for one day. Unfortunately, sometimes I can't book flights a week before so I have to suck it up.
I just thought of an idea though. Somebody should charter and airplane and sell seats. You can call it the Grey Cup express or something like that.
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shitdisturber
- Rank 10
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- Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:38 pm
- Location: If it's Monday it's got to be somewhere shitty
CID:
You're still missing it. I think most people are. I know about booking early and all the rest. Trust me. This isn't about booking early etc. It's about $800 more to go a shorter distance on the same plane continuing on to YEG
And no, they would not charge me more for getting off in YXE. I would just walk off the plane wit my carry on (no checked baggage for them to unload) in YXE and tell the gate agent I was done flying here. Seat is now empty. See Ya. That's the end. Now there is an extra seat for them to sell last minute or give to a Stand-By. No penalty.
You're still missing it. I think most people are. I know about booking early and all the rest. Trust me. This isn't about booking early etc. It's about $800 more to go a shorter distance on the same plane continuing on to YEG
And no, they would not charge me more for getting off in YXE. I would just walk off the plane wit my carry on (no checked baggage for them to unload) in YXE and tell the gate agent I was done flying here. Seat is now empty. See Ya. That's the end. Now there is an extra seat for them to sell last minute or give to a Stand-By. No penalty.
