Airfares may soon be determined based on where a person lives, how much they can afford and how often they fly, according to an airline head.
The new tailor made pricing system was discussed by the boss of a Spanish low-cost carrier at the International Air Transport Association Conference in the US.
During his speech, Vueling’s CEO Alex Cruz, said it was ‘inevitable’ that personal data such as postcodes and travel history would influence air prices.
He explained that tailored ‘individual products’ would likely see those from wealthy suburbs paying more than their slightly less well-off counterparts.
It would also mean that people who travel more frequently could also be charged a little extra compared to those who don’t frequent the skies.
Whether it’s postcode or travel history, Cruz says “the barriers were coming down”, News.com.au reported.
While the controversial airfare system is (hopefully) a little way off actually being introduced, experts have already started cautioning travellers against revealing too much information to airlines.
Tom Godfrey from consumer group Choice told News that travellers should avoid providing too much information to airlines and their loyalty programs.
According to Mr Godfrey, travellers are under the impression that loyalty programs bring more value, where as he believes they actually contribute to higher prices.
“As consumers we really should have a debate about what data is being kept and how it’s being used.”
Tom Godfrey, Choice Head of Media
A way to prevent higher charges, according to the news site, is deleting ‘cookies’ after searching for airfares.
‘Cookies’ store information such as searches and even past bookings.
