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.”
On the one hand we seem to currently have some of the cheapest air tickets the world has ever seen. If you’re willing to travel like cattle.
On the other hand it feels like air travel is now like getting on the city bus and there’s some guy vomiting in front of you and a screaming kid pissing on the seat behind you, all the while you’re getting herded around like a cow, your stuff is at high risk of getting stolen with no recourse, and the airline is playing mind games about the best time to buy a ticket after sneaking in a bunch of clauses designed to get you to pay more later.
Cheap tickets, and yet the longest travel time ever. No more showing up at the airport and walking onto the plane in less than 20 minutes anymore.