Technology

How the fuck is this legal, if true?

Airlines and enshittification, what's new.

Happening right now with Southwest as well. In their infinite knowledge sw decided to remove what defined them: two free checked bags and cheap flights

Now there's a worse option called basic which has a shittier cancellation policy, no checked bags, and is more expensive than the previous budget tier

I have predicted this for a while now. As this will take effect, the airline no longer have responsibility for what sets the prices. The AI could for instance become very racist, driving prices through the roof for colored people if it somehow determines that well-paying racist customers will pay more to fly with only white people. Several scenarios like that could unfold, and since LLMs are basically impossible to get the source values for their decissions, no one can be held responsible for such choices.

Oh, and I'm sure the data from 23andMe will be abused soon to ensure that only healthy people get good prices. The personal data which "didn't matter that we shared" is about to unfold.

I think i might just go live in the woods.

Here's who to hate this time around fellas

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.

Up next, Delta sales down 37%, ceo launches investigation

THIS is why privacy matters. Big tech collects and sells all your data so they can use it against you. My model says your Mom is dying and you need to get there quick; oh man, you are gonna pay.

I wonder how you haggle with an AI

Actually this reminds me of the story a while back about how LLMs give better results if you threaten them with physical violence. Maybe that's one way to get a cheaper ticket?

Woah.

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs

This may be the true inverse of that statement. Automated for maximum efficiency/extraction.

Cyberpunk dystopic as fuck.

How long before someone finds a glitch that allows them to trick the A.I. Into letting them get free seats or book the entire plane, etc.

This is great for me... because I have a fuck Delta, or will pay extra to avoid, pricing maximum in mind.

Sounds illegal or certainly should be. I'm confident nothing will be done to stop them though. Frightening given I believe this to be one of the least evil US airlines.

How do they get away with charging people different amounts for the same product? Couldn’t they charge more if they don’t like someone, like because they maybe a not white republican?

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.

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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.

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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.

So this means millionaires will be paying significantly more, right?

Great, so m/billionaires get charged 100x more, right. Right?

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?

Please tell me that this is a secret plot by Amtrak officials to increase their ridership and bring high-speed rail across the US? Because if it is, I'll 100% support it!

Maybe I should start like a service where we get someone like a dedicated “agent” who has their assets hidden to buy tickets for you for a small fee… and then transfer them… like an agency… for travel…

WAIT a second 😱!