Earlier this year, Douglas Ball saw a newspaper ad touting fares up to 40 percent off their regular price.
The Northern Virginia resident then quickly went to the airline's Web site to nab a cheap flight from Dulles International Airport to San Diego. But when he tried to book the flight, a message came up saying the $417 tickets were sold out. But a fare of $1,100 was available.
"It's like going to a store to buy an item on sale. But what they don't tell you is there are only a few of those items in stock, so when you get there it's sold out, but the store hopes you'll buy something else," Ball said. "It's like playing a roulette wheel."
It is probably one of the few points both travelers and even some airline executives agree upon: Confronting the industry's fare structure is as tricky and challenging as shopping in a Moroccan street bazaar. That is, the airlines -- like the street vendors -- seemingly have their own secret prices for products. And those prices can vary greatly depending on who is buying and when.
Airlines admit there can be dozens of fares -- as much as a sevenfold difference that can change hourly -- on one flight. And often those fares can be for seats right next to each other.
"What you hear in the market is that the pricing system is confusing, unfair and broken," United Airlines President Rono Dutta said. "I accept it is confusing. We would love to simplify it. And we're struggling with ways to simplify it."
Complaints about the system have escalated in recent years as a result, in part, of the very tool the airlines have embraced to sell tickets -- the Internet. Thanks to the growth of airline and travel Web sites, travelers are now able to view for themselves a smorgasbord of airline ticket prices.
Previously, travelers typically would just accept the fares their travel agents or airlines offered, often unaware of what else was available. Now, co-workers, families and friends quickly share information about which Web site found them those $200 seats. But just a half hour later, they may find, a seat in the same row on the same flight is selling for $1,000.
"The problem with airline pricing has been there for years. But it's become more visible today because of the Internet. Travelers are now able to see the irrationality and now you have a revolt on your hands," said Kevin Mitchell, head of the Business Travel Coalition.
Dutta also acknowledged that the Internet has stoked the "perception of confusion" among travelers.
