« Comparative misery suggests a mild recession | Main | The Republicans didn't stop this recession so should they be silent about getting us out? »
February 9, 2009
So that's why they do that
Did you ever wonder why airlines make it difficult or impossible to transfer your ticket to another passenger? I always assumed that it generated profits but I was unsure of the mechanism. It couldn't just be to sell more tickets, because re-sellable tickets would be more valuable because cancellation wouldn't be a big concern.
The WSJ sheds some light:
Most airlines make their tickets "nontransferable" to protect their fare structures and maintain control of their inventory. Otherwise, entrepreneurs might hoard cheap tickets and then resell them at higher prices closer to departure. Or big companies might buy up a batch of cheap tickets for frequently traveled routes and then assign them to business travelers when trips are planned.
Why Fliers Can't Donate Unused Tickets
Posted by OneEyedMan at February 9, 2009 6:15 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)