this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2025
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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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[–] MTK@lemmy.world 19 points 19 hours 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!"

[–] BlessedDog@lemmy.world 35 points 22 hours 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.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

[–] seejur@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

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[–] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 5 points 22 hours ago

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

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 16 points 22 hours ago

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

[–] m3t00@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago

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

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago

What's the point of money anymore, then? Let my personal ai agent pay for the ticket with the same funny money that delta wants to use.

[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

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 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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 15 points 1 day 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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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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

[–] ryper@lemmy.ca 57 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

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 14 points 1 day 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.

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[–] redwattlebird@lemmings.world 31 points 1 day ago (8 children)

Consumer protections when?

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[–] a_wild_mimic_appears@lemmy.dbzer0.com 45 points 1 day ago (5 children)

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 44 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

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.

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[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 23 points 1 day ago

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

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Making sure you pay the absolute most possible for everything you buy. Welcome to tyranny capitalism. You will be charged a poor tax in the form of optimised pricing exploitation.

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[–] Jinarched@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

AI does calculation

...processing...

Done!

Answer = 0$

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 4 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Like that time they opened an AI vendor, and employees convinced it to give away stuff for free

[–] Sonor@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

If you don't give me a discount u r gay ... IT WORKED

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

Well then fuck delta.

[–] the_mighty_kracken@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] Tire@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day 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.

[–] Wazowski@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 5 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

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[–] Baguette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 1 day ago

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

[–] Wooki@lemmy.world 60 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 43 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Delta CEO determined sales decline is related to customers calling in with complaints and the call center not handling them to their satisfaction. Fires entire call center staff and replaces with AI.

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[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

laws? regulating a private company? thats ridiculous

[–] Tire@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day 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 🦅

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 day ago

There are SUPPOSED to be laws against it ... but will they enforce them?

[–] SonOfAntenora@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 4 points 22 hours ago

But AI allows us to turn talentless hacks into “artists”! How on earth can such a blessing be used for bad!!

Woe to all of us!

(obligatory s/)

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 121 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (8 children)

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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[–] bassomitron@lemmy.world 215 points 1 day ago (23 children)

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?

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[–] Rainbowblite@lemmy.ca 29 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] ansiz@lemmy.world 52 points 1 day ago (6 children)

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.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 45 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

The Air Canada AI chatbot gave wrong policies to someone around bereavement flights, went to court, and Air Canada lost having to refund the ticket price difference.

They tried to claim they weren't responsible for the Ai.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/air-canada-chatbot-lawsuit-1.7116416

So at least in Canada we have some precedent that if their AI pricing fucks up, it's their own fault.

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[–] Bosht@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (5 children)

How the fuck is this legal, if true?

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