Local Rates

[Dogbowl]

Are you sure they don't?
Have you ever asked your op "Hey- I dove with you 100 times last year? Do you offer any sort of discount?"

I have a sneaking suspicion that the people who dive with the ops I use 100+ days a year (and regularly mule down boat parts or dive gear) probably don't pay the same rate I do for diving 5 days a year.

I have no idea if my op does or not. I don't know how they give discounts, whether based on local vs. tourist or based on # of dives. I haven't had the fortune of diving more than 5 days with my op yet. Dang!

My post was just to present my opinion on the matter, which is that I think discounts based on # of dives makes more sense to me than a discount based on local vs. tourist. That's all!

Another thing...I really think dive cards should be a thing. Buy 10 (or 20 or whatever) 2-tank dives on a card for a set discounted price and let the diver use it until whenever. No expiry. Good for the diver to get a good discount, good for the op to get money in the door. And guess what? A lot of dives are never claimed! Good for the dive shop! Ask me how I know! LOL!

 

[deepsea21]

Ever notice that while you're looking at an airfare and find something you like and call your friends to jump on the same rate that it often changes? Well in todays connected world we have almost instantaneous demand forecasting capabilities!

I certainly have learned one thing when searching for airfare... I NEVER search the exact dates I want to travel. I search 1 or 2 days ahead or behind the exact days I want to travel and then select the "flexible dates" option for 3 days +/-. The AI that is monitoring flight searches and pricing flights in real time recognizes whenever a search is made for specific dates between two points. While you may not actually book the flights, the AI recognizes the potential increased demand on those dates between those 2 points and will start to hike prices accordingly as it is predicting future demand based on the number of searches performed. Search the same flights 100 times and AI thinks there are potentially 100 passengers who want those days and flights so it will start hiking prices when, in fact, it's just one person searching over and over again looking for a deal somewhere. Have 10 people looking for those flights doing the same thing and AI sees potential demand for 1000 seats. If you are one who shops and shops airfare, don't hand AI the true itinerary you want to fly but search around those dates using the "flexible dates" option. AI will still be adjusting accordingly for the overall flexible span searched but it won't have the knowledge to narrow it down to the specific dates you want. The more people search the flights they want over and over, the higher AI will start pricing those flights. AI can price flights high and hold them there because there is always the buffer of opening up seats for those who want to fly on air miles. As the day of travel nears AI can hold those prices high and it just starts releasing seats to those looking to use air miles to fill them.

 

[ReefHound]

This is utter nonsense.

First, all these sites use cookies and know absolutely the difference between one person searching 100 times and 100 persons searching one time. Seriously, this isn't 1995. You can't go onto FB anymore without seeing an ad for something unrelated that you searched on yesterday on another site, often from another computer.

Second, I don't believe searching would have any effect on price, except possibly to lower it. Demand isn't measured in searches but in sales. If there have been 100 searches for a flight but that hasn't translated into tickets sold, that tells them the price is too high not too low. Sales 101, when a buyer is on the fence you sweeten the deal to induce a sale not worsen the deal to give him a reason to walk.

We can test it. Let's agree on a specific flight to search and let's all hit it like crazy for a few days and see if the price goes up.

 

[deepsea21]

This is utter nonsense.

First, all these sites use cookies and know absolutely the difference between one person searching 100 times and 100 persons searching one time. Seriously, this isn't 1995. You can't go onto FB anymore without seeing an ad for something unrelated that you searched on yesterday on another site, often from another computer.

Second, I don't believe searching would have any effect on price, except possibly to lower it. Demand isn't measured in searches but in sales. If there have been 100 searches for a flight but that hasn't translated into tickets sold, that tells them the price is too high not too low. Sales 101, when a buyer is on the fence you sweeten the deal to induce a sale not worsen the deal to give him a reason to walk.

We can test it. Let's agree on a specific flight to search and let's all hit it like crazy for a few days and see if the price goes up.

I tell ya Hound... AI is smart. For those who shop flights and see a price with a "2-seats available" price and hit it again a few minutes later that price may be gone and you'll see the "2 available seats" are gone and the price is all of a sudden $100 higher. The next day it may revert back to the original price again to make you think you better book now 'cause it could be gone again.

A friend of mine retired a young multi-millionaire. He wrote code for complicated AI systems that can "learn". Some of the most significant AI code he wrote was for the NFL that was rolled out to all NFL stadiums. A stadium needs to staff and supply multiple food and beverage stations around its entire perimeter as well as vendors in the stands in accordance with anticipated demand around the entire stadium. Depending on time of year and where the sun is shining, the beverage intake is going to be much higher on the sunny side than shady side. The shaded side will consume more food and fewer beverages. Over time, the AI "learns" and recommends an ordering of supplies and a distribution of consumables and personnel throughout the areas of the stadium that perfectly matches each and every stadium's game time of day, time of year, air temperature, rain, sun, cloudy, etc. It goes on and on and it gets smarter and smarter as it crunches numbers and data from each and every game played.

On another note, because he was so involved in all that stuff, he is absolutely paranoid in his retirement and has nothing hooked up to a common always-live internet connection even with the latest and greatest antivirus and firewalls. As he told me, it's not the virus that has been identified and detected ya have to worry about... its the one that infiltrates on a massive scale and quickly and captures everything before it has been identified and a fix has been programmed into the various antivirus programs. First thing I did when my wive and I got smart phones (only Apple phones as he recommended) was we handed them to him and he went crazy deep into their settings and shut down/blocked everything he did on his phones.

 

[Streydog]

So this IA can predict the weather accurately? Can it also predict when there will be a blow out and fans will leave early? I am not ready to wear my tinfoil hat yet.

 

[ReefHound]

I tell ya Hound... AI is smart.

Yes, it is. A lot smarter than you are giving it credit for. You're the one that thinks it is so primitive that it thinks just you searching 100 times means a 100 different people searching. You're the one that thinks it is so dumb that it thinks it's a good idea to raise the price on someone who can't even pull the trigger on the current price.

Sometimes prices change when a flight is nearing capacity or close to departure. But I think you're seeing shadows if you think it has anything to do with you.

5/31/2018 - United - IAH-CZM - 9/15 to 9/22 - $425 RT

Hit it 5 times in last couple hours, still $425.

 

[deepsea21]

But I think you're seeing shadows if you think it has anything to do with you.

I've personally seen it happen many times. However, I theorize one reason I've experienced this and others may have not is I'm flying out of Norfolk, VA which generally means very limited AM flights on lower capacity Embraer jets to Charlotte, Miami, Atlanta and even direct to Houston on those tiny jets. It's not as though I'm searching for flights out of a major airport or hub. As such, searches can have a far more significant impact. I were searching between 2 major airports like Philadelphia to Atlanta there would be no impact as there more flights on large planes than I can count and, of course, that's where the relatively cheap flights can be found.

Anyway, this year I can care less about airfare to Coz as that Barclay AA card I shared here in January that was offering 60,000 sign-up miles - My wife and I each snagged one immediately for 120,000 miles and this December we fly RT ORF to CZM for 40,000 miles each. 1st class down and coach back on the exact flights I wanted with another 40,000 miles + those we've accumulated since getting them to use up before I cancel them and look for another card issuer to screw. That was an absolutely stellar air-miles card deal offered for a limited time. Hope some others here took advantage of it too - especially if they are flying out of smaller costly airports like I am. Certainly don't want to carry a balance on those cards though at that crazy 29% interest rate they charge! Barclay was gambling on people carrying balances and they lost that bet with us.

Oh, contrary to popular belief that obtaining new cards using them for a year to burn up the miles and then canceling them to obtain another will somehow damage your credit score? That is absolute nonsense floated by credit card issuers who want to keep you captive. As shown below when this new card hit my credit report nothing of significance happened.

 

[ggunn]

Yes, it is. A lot smarter than you are giving it credit for. You're the one that thinks it is so primitive that it thinks just you searching 100 times means a 100 different people searching. You're the one that thinks it is so dumb that it thinks it's a good idea to raise the price on someone who can't even pull the trigger on the current price.

Sometimes prices change when a flight is nearing capacity or close to departure. But I think you're seeing shadows if you think it has anything to do with you.

5/31/2018 - United - IAH-CZM - 9/15 to 9/22 - $425 RT

Hit it 5 times in last couple hours, still $425.

My experience matches yours. I have vacillated for weeks over a Cozumel trip flight and looked at the same dates and times many times. The prices may fluctuate a bit as long as the cheap seats are available, but they are as likely to go down as up.

 

[ReefHound]

I've personally seen it happen many times. However, I theorize one reason I've experienced this and others may have not is I'm flying out of Norfolk, VA which generally means very limited AM flights on lower capacity Embraer jets to Charlotte, Miami, Atlanta and even direct to Houston on those tiny jets.

You pick the airline, city-pair, and dates and let's see. Prices may be more volatile on smaller planes to minor airports but I don't think it has anything to do with your searches. You're seeing shapes in the clouds.

 

[mediumone]

Yes, it is. A lot smarter than you are giving it credit for. You're the one that thinks it is so primitive that it thinks just you searching 100 times means a 100 different people searching. You're the one that thinks it is so dumb that it thinks it's a good idea to raise the price on someone who can't even pull the trigger on the current price.

Sometimes prices change when a flight is nearing capacity or close to departure. But I think you're seeing shadows if you think it has anything to do with you.

5/31/2018 - United - IAH-CZM - 9/15 to 9/22 - $425 RT

Hit it 5 times in last couple hours, still $425.

You pick the airline, city-pair, and dates and let's see. Prices may be more volatile on smaller planes to minor airports but I don't think it has anything to do with your searches. You're seeing shapes in the clouds.

I continued the experiment. Searched those dates at 1:00 pm PDT twice and received the same price quote. I just now searched (11:00 pm PDT), and the price has gone down $2.00 to $423.00.