[JoeAltmaier]

I disagree with everything in this article. The assumption is that Americans should be scalped for airline tickets because, they're American and rich and deserve it. To take cheap tickets away from people in poorer countries by paying in Rupees or whatever is 'unethical'.

Well, airlines are a for-profit business. They don't choose their rates out of some public-service motivation. They charge what they think they can get away with. To re-cast that as some charity program that Americans shouldn't participate in, is pure fantasy.

Get the cheapest ticket you can, from whatever carrier you can find it from, with a clear conscience. Its business.

[gervase]

I agree 100%. I'm certain that the airlines have never considered the 'ethics of ticket pricing' when setting prices.

Is haggling unethical? Is using coupons unethical? This article is nonsense.

[vinceguidry]

I'm not opposed to mild price discrimination, so long that competition within the segment is holding up. For airfare, I personally hate layovers, mismanagement, and ridiculous requirements. I flew Spirit three times to Colombia, this past time is going to be my last. I'll pay $200 extra to fly Delta, it's worth it.

Personally, I feel that if you're focused exclusively on price, you're really missing the point. I could 'save' hundreds of dollars clipping coupons, but honestly to me it's not worth it. I was at the bar the other day and some guys next to me used a ScoutMob, I didn't even know what that was. They said you could save $15 on your tab and that I was being irresponsible with my money. I shrugged and paid full price. I went to the bar prepared to spend $X, spending $X - Y doesn't really make that much of a difference in my purchasing power. What makes a difference is in how you conduct your lifestyle, what Ramit Sethi calls "big wins". Cutting ruthlessly on stuff you don't need and spending relatively extravagantly on stuff you do. Planning expenses and not just consuming things mindlessly.

I don't think it's necessarily unethical to wring every last penny from the airlines, but really, wouldn't the time and energy spent learning how to do that, implementing the strategies, and learning from your mistakes be better spent on your own business / career / life? I feel like discount shoppers wind up being like the 5 year old who'll work harder to argue with his mom why he doesn't want to clean his room than it would take to just clean it.

[mcguire]

The first example, the one you mention, is pure arbitrage, and is perfectly acceptable, even a good thing, in every other exchange.

I don't see the problem with any of the others as well, and I'm a closet moralist most of the time. Things like the "hidden city" are attempts by the airlines to game the system; they're trying to take advantage of their customer's behavior.

[joshu]

I agree. The price of the thing should depend on the parameters of the thing and the buyer's willingness to pay the price, and not other factors.

That said, I thought ticket prices were regulated by the IATA?

[hsod]

I have no opinion on this particular case, but I strongly disagree with the broader point you're making (which seems to be that commerce exists outside of the realm of ethics and that 'anything goes').

If a shopkeeper is distracted, you should not be able to steal candy bars with a clear conscience, even if you believe the price of those candy bars to be unethical.

Dealing with unethical people does not relieve you of your duty to behave unethically. And commerce is just another facet of social interaction.

[JoeAltmaier]

That was not anything like the direction we were going with this discussion. I call Red Herring.

Paying the posted price for merchandise is always fair in Business. Some PC fool comes along with "it was posted below the other price, low down for people in wheelchairs to see. You are stealing from the unfortunate!" and I will call out the idiot.