Airplane and airline stuff

[pErvinalia]

Fresh off a victory lap after a better-than-expected earnings report, Delta Air Lines is leaning into AI as a way to boost its profit margins further by maximizing what individual passengers pay for fares.

By the end of the year, Delta plans for 20% of its ticket prices to be individually determined using AI, president Glen Hauenstein told investors last week. Currently, about 3% of the airline’s flight prices are AI-determined, triple the portion from nine months ago.

Over time, the goal is to do away with static pricing altogether, Hauenstein explained during the company’s Investor Day in November.

“This is a full reengineering of how we price and how we will be pricing in the future,” he said. Eventually, “we will have a price that’s available on that flight, on that time, to you, the individual.”

He compared AI to “a super analyst” who is “working 24 hours a day, seven days a week and trying to simulate… real time, what should the price points be?”


While the rollout would be a “multiyear” process, he said, initial results “show amazingly favorable unit revenues.”

Delta accomplishes this pricing through a partnership with Fetcherr, a six-year-old Israeli company that also counts Azul, WestJet, Virgin Atlantic, and VivaAerobus as clients. And it has its sights set beyond flying. “Once we will be established in the airline industry, we will move to hospitality, car rentals, cruises, whatever,” cofounder Robby Nissan said at a travel conference in 2022.

https://fortune.com/2025/07/16/delta-mo ... -a-ticket/

[JimC]

Adam Smith would be proud...

[macdoc]

Adam Smith was wrong
....Nash.

[Tero]

Even CNN journalists can no longer write a clear story. The story should have started with "on takeoff" as it was clearly not in the air yet.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/26/us/denve ... nding-gear

The Denver airport is pretty large, runways long. Once we took a bus to our plane. I joked that "we could just keep going on the bus. We would be in Nebraska pretty soon."

[macdoc]

You should see Dallas Fort Worth....on and on and on.....

[macdoc]

Fifteen-year-old hopes to break record as youngest pilot to fly around world
Byron Waller is smashing records and while the milestone is great, he hopes to use the limelight to raise awareness for other things.

www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au

Attempting single engine around the world at 15. Despite having a support pilot….pretty damn impressive.

[Tero]

Mushroom pilot riding in cockpit reaches plea
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -agreement

[Brian Peacock]

[Svartalf]

Adam Smith would be proud...

that's not the "invisible hand" of reasonable market forces and passengers having a rational and well informed solution to choose such flights and companies as best serve them, that's pure corporate greed abusing the fact that passengers CANNOT make a rational and correct choice.

[macdoc]

Adam Smith was wrong .... You do realize dynamic pricing can save the savvy traveller a ton?

AI Overview
Yes, savvy travelers can save a significant amount with dynamic pricing by booking during off-peak times, being flexible with travel dates and times, and taking advantage of real-time deals. Dynamic pricing is a strategy where prices fluctuate based on real-time demand, allowing smart travelers to book flights, hotels, and activities for less when demand is low.

[Svartalf]

I realize it could be used that way, but won't.

[macdoc]

But it is Svarty ...stepdottor is finance exec at Marriott and its one way she fills rooms.
Anyone that travels frequently knows to play the system...don't speculate in what you don't understand.

[Svartalf]

Or maybe just business flyers such as go to Marriott simply have enough $$$ not to bother with 'playin' the system... or maybe any customer with a frequent flyer miles account gets special discounts that make playing the system irrelevant.

[macdoc]

Blowin smoke again about what you don't know

As of the end of 2024, Marriott International managed a system of 9,361 properties with approximately 1,706,331 rooms. The company operates under a business model where it primarily franchises and licenses its properties, with fewer than 1% of properties being owned and operated directly by Marriott.
Total properties: 9,361
Total rooms: 1,706,331
Global presence: 144 countries and territories
Development pipeline: At the end of 2024, there were nearly 3,800 hotels with over 577,000 rooms in its development pipeline.
ANNUAL REPORT - Investor Relations | Marriott International
10 Feb 2025 — Item 1. Business. ... We are a worldwide operator, franchisor, and licensor of hotel, residential, timeshare, and other...

it does require some work to benefit....

Score Deals in Low-Demand Times: If you have flexibility, dynamic pricing can be your friend. Hotels often slash prices during low-demand periods – think off-season months, weekdays, or right after a big holiday. Fewer tourists mean hotels compete harder for your booking. You can enjoy fancy hotels or prime locations at a fraction of the cost simply by traveling when others aren’t. For example, as noted earlier, an expensive hotel might be much more affordable in a lull like mid-January or mid-week. This rewards travelers who can avoid the crowds.

Last-Minute Bargains: Procrastinators, rejoice (sometimes)! If a hotel still has many empty rooms close to the check-in date, it may drop rates to attract late bookers. In fact, one analysis showed that during a recent summer, people who booked their hotel within a week of travel ended up paying about 35% less (domestic trips) than those who booked further ahead. That’s because many hotels, rather than leave rooms empty at the last minute, prefer to sell them cheaper – something is better than nothing. Apps and services have sprung up to capitalize on this: for instance, Hotels.com’s last-minute deals section and apps like HotelTonight specialize in same-day discounts for spontaneous travelers. If you’re flexible and adventurous, you can take advantage of these falling prices (just don’t bank on this during peak season or popular events!).

More Pricing Options: Dynamic pricing means rates are fluid, which can benefit savvy travelers. You aren’t stuck with a single published rate – you might find different prices on different websites or on different days. By shopping around and timing your booking, you have a chance to snag a better price. Hotels also sometimes experiment with promotions, package rates, or member discounts as part of their dynamic strategy, which could mean extra savings or perks for you if you know where to look. In short, the fluctuating market creates opportunities for deal-hunters.

Far better a filled hotel/motel facility than one sitting with empty rooms.

[macdoc]

There is a dark side when abused

Booking.com cancelled woman's $4K hotel reservation, then offered her same rooms for $17K
Digital rights lawyer says online booking platforms often shift risk — and costs — onto travellers

https://www.cbc.ca/news/gopublic/go-pub ... -9.6985480