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Delta has a long-term strategy to boost its profitability by moving away from set fares and toward individualized pricing using AI. The pilot program, which uses AI for 3% of fares, has so far been “amazingly favorable,” the airline said. Privacy advocates fear this will lead to price-gouging, with one consumer advocate comparing the tactic to “hacking our brains.”

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[-] bassomitron@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago

Sooo... If you're broke, does it give you low prices vs someone who is rich?

Kidding, kidding. We all know they're going to be fucking the lower and middle income brackets hard as hell with this. As if we weren't already being milked dry, now they want to milk the very blood out of us.

My question is: What the fuck is the endgame? This shit isn't sustainable. Used to be that most companies were content with steady profits. The last 40+ years has shown us that simply generating a profit isn't enough, the profits must be constantly going even higher every quarter. But again, this isn't realistic or sustainable. So why the fuck has the entire world agreed to condone and enable this pathway that is ultimately doomed?

[-] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I was thinking the same thing, considering that I have less money to pay to fly my price should be lower, no? But the article ends on this note:

Early research on personalized pricing isn’t favorable for the consumer. Consumer Watchdog found that the best deals were offered to the wealthiest customers—with the worst deals given to the poorest people, who are least likely to have other options.

So basically the opposite of what it should be. I wouldnt mind individualized pricing if it meant Delta was robinhooding with their pricing model, but instead they are effectively using their pricing model to force out poorer consumers. Which makes sense from their perspective I suppose considering they can upsell more shit to people with more money.

As someone who lives in a top-wealth zipcode (as a working class person) I assume by next year this means I will no longer be able to afford to fly out of town…

Its starting to make sense why the GOP was working to ban regulation on AI use. This shit is blatantly unethical

[-] HasturInYellow@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

There is no fucking way that that is sustained simply due to the fact that people would BURN THIS PLACE DOWN if companies start doing shit like that. No one has money as it is. I'm not convinced we're not going to burn it down as it is.

These elites has truly lost the plot and are going so far down the comic book villain lane, they're going to start dying like comic book villains. Dunked in acid, frozen solid, crushed by their exploding submarine, eaten by their own rabid experiments... Who knows, but I'm excited to find out.

[-] tja@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

People will not do anything. They might complain on Lemmy/Reddit/Facebook and then go watch another tiktok

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[-] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 21 points 1 week ago

How long until they are found price-gouging people in certain demographics?

[-] seejur@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Somehow me think that AI will be used to increase prices where it can, but not the other way around

[-] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

The only saving grace will be if they code in trying to fill a plane for efficiency. I could see an AI making last minute flights at an actual discount but only if full flight efficiency is prioritized over individual sale margin, so not likely. It's aloft on an wing and a prayer.

[-] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

About the same time that all 4 other airlines decide to do the same or worse.

[-] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Oh good. Then it will know I'm too broke to fly.

ETA The real joy will be when someone charts prices and notices nonwhites are disproportionately overcharged, for which Delta will be responsible during the class action lawsuit.

And saying but the algo / AI did it will be as useful as saying but that's the fault of our sales people who get commissions.

[-] Buffalobuffalo@reddthat.com 5 points 1 week ago

That was my first thought. Even if the system does not know people’s protected class status, does not mean it cannot discriminate against them.

[-] skisnow@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

I’ve recently been looking at how Facebook’s advertising algorithm works, and it is a piece of pure fucking “the AI did it not us” evil. It can seek out all types of vulnerable people and target them on stuff that if a human salesperson did it you’d call them a sociopath.

Anorexic? Body confidence issues? Financial problems? Signs of susceptibility to fascist messaging? Here’s some paid messages from people who want your dollar. Seriously that whole place needs shutting down, it’s the worst thing to happen to humanity in recent history.

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[-] drmoose@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

This is already how it has worked forever and AI was not needed. Try it yourself using different devices or times of day.

[-] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

you mean charge rich people more, poor people less or just charge desperate people more?

[-] ryper@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

They left it until the very end of the article:

Early research on personalized pricing isn’t favorable for the consumer. Consumer Watchdog found that the best deals were offered to the wealthiest customers—with the worst deals given to the poorest people, who are least likely to have other options.

[-] skisnow@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

Yeah when I started travelling on a generous business expense account I found that it was increasingly the case that I didn’t even need to charge things to it. Things just start becoming fucking free when you’ve got money.

[-] SereneSadie@lemmy.myserv.one 2 points 1 week ago
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[-] Alaik@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

Charge most more and a few the same. I doubt anyone will be getting charged less.

[-] multifariace@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

On the rare occasion I fly, I know I can get my long knees in a Delta plus seat. This restriction will definitely make my ticket go up with such an AI. It feels like it should be an accomodation but is more often a punishment.

[-] Jinarched@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

AI does calculation

...processing...

Done!

Answer = 0$

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[-] Zikeji@programming.dev 7 points 1 week ago

Of course it's an Israeli firm that is enabling this greedy behavior. They already price gouge as it is. Can't we go back to the formula of "our cost + our profit margin adjusted for market". This bleeding the customer dry bullshit should stick in bullshit avoidable video game micro transactions.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

They can't. Competition for capital is forcing them to extract the everliving profit out of people. Their competitors would not be far behind on this train if it increases profitability.

[-] Zikeji@programming.dev 6 points 1 week ago

I acknowledge that, this is the result of unbridled capitalism.

When a person uses social engineering and manipulation to extract money from an individual or company it's called fraud, when a large enough company does it it's just business.

If only our government could give us some handy dandy consumer protection laws.

[-] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

I think we should pay for airfare by the pound. Honestly.

[-] JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago

Brb, shredding for my next holiday, hoping to book in featherweight class.

[-] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

finally a decent reason to lose weight. longer life? pfft? have you seen this shit? and there's no amount of weight I can lose to look better lol.

[-] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago

Luigi Mangione, white courtesy phone. Luigi Mangione, white courtesy phone please.

[-] Zier@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago

Airlines are the biggest scammers. We need a real government that sets price & service caps.

[-] rem26_art@fedia.io 5 points 1 week ago

this is basically like "we can't keep our shareholders happy in their quest for infinite return on investment without you overpaying for our services"

[-] Wazowski@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Shit like this is just another reason that I won't fly. Fucking cunts.

[-] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 5 points 1 week ago

I minimize air travel to the extent possible. Unfortunately I have non-local family so unless I choose to just not see them my choices are a bit limited.

But yeah, I don't fly for tourism or leisure.

Yeah, options are:

  • 2-3 days driving
  • 5? days on a train
  • 4-5 hours on a plane

Oh, and the plane is very attractive price-wise.

[-] m3t00@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

AI; checks your credit report and decides you aren't poor enough.

[-] the_mighty_kracken@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Does the AI know that it would have to pay me to fly Delta? Has it been trained on that data?

[-] Tire@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

No but I’m sure it will be informed by Facebook when your best friend dies and when the funeral will be so that flight will cost twice as much.

[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

So its gonna run a soft credit check on you and then give you a price?

You don't even need AI for that, and that'd be waaaaay cheaper to implement than AI.

...

A Delta spokesperson told Fortune the airline “has zero tolerance for discrimination. Our fares are publicly filed and based solely on trip-related factors like advance purchase and cabin class, and we maintain strict safeguards to ensure compliance with federal law.”

This is horseshit.

In Economics, the entire concept of setting specific prices for specific market demographics is literally called 'price discrimination.'

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/price_discrimination.asp

Advance purchase and different seating classes literally are price discrimination, third degree.

Frequent flyer discounts would be second degree.

Overall adjusting seat costs per flight based on how full or empty that flight is, is first degree price discrimination.

...

This is like a company that sells chickens saying 'we don't sell chickens.'

This is just gobsmackingly false, so blatantly so that it is actually funny.

Airlines entire fucking business models are based on inventing new forms and strategies of price discrimination.

...

What this asshat is saying is only even interpretable as true if what he means is 'we don't directly factor sexuality, age, disability, ethnicity, legally protected classes into our pricing model.'

They of course do this indirectly by pulling a whole bunch of your meta data and then accurately inferring those things, and then discriminating against you based on that.

It is laughably easy to get around US discrimination laws in this way, megacorps have been regularly doing this for at least decade now, both when it comes to you as a consumer, and you as a potential employee or renter.

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[-] MTK@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Time to fill the internet with posts about extremely cheap flights until the AI learns.

Example:

"Found a super cheap flight today! 10USD for a round trip to Japan from NYC!"

Aren't there laws about this in that country? I seem to remember reading about that a while back.

[-] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

laws? regulating a private company? thats ridiculous

[-] Tire@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week ago

This is AMERICA we have the FREEDOM to pick one of 2 -3 companies that will take advantage of us and keep us in poverty 🦅

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[-] BlessedDog@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Thank god for GDPR. We Europeans, according to GDPR article 22, have a right to object to automated decision making without having service denied.

I have an idea for a business: a browser with vpn. the catch is that the vpn connects to the poorest areas of the country you live in, and the browser reports your machine as the most crappy thing that can browse the web - which should result in low, low prices everywhere!

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

the catch is that the vpn connects to the poorest areas of the country you live in

A common mistake.

The High Price of Being Poor

You're going to get a worse deal if the airline thinks you're not going to be a repeat customer or part of a larger network of frequent fliers. The customers who get the best deals are the ones that airlines believe they will be able to collect money from routinely. If they have you pegged as someone who will only ever buy a ticket once or twice in their lives, they're going to try and sell you the worst possible seat at the highest possible price.

What you can expect as a poor buyer is debt-financing, bait-and-switch, and the worst kind of economy service at the highest marginal price point. Budget airline travel is miserable and AI isn't going to make the experience any better.

That's a good argument, so probably the location should be in a pretty high COL suburb, maybe a gated community.

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[-] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Well then fuck delta.

[-] Trimatrix@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Please let it be stupidly implemented such that I can convince the AI to pay me to fly Delta. (IMHO, how are they even a big airline player? I give it they are a step above Spirit but that’s all they got)

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this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2025
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