Dear Editor,
Out of curiosity I decided to check Delta Airlines’ website to see what they were charging for a round trip out of JFK to Georgetown and was astonished to be quoted prices of between US$1100 and US$1500 for a 21-day round trip ticket. The selected itinerary also indicated that the approximate flight time would be 5 hours and fifty minutes.
A further perusal of the said website also showed that the cost of a similar economy ticket from JFK to Los Angeles was between US$500 and US$700 with the estimated flight time 6 hours and 3 minutes. Since both of these planes should be consuming the same amount of fuel, all things being fairly equal there is absolutely no possible justification for Delta charging twice as much for essentially the same product.
I want to make it explicitly clear that I am not being anti-capitalist for bringing to the fore this anomaly, but the corporate titans of the industrialized countries are only embracing the third world because their home markets are leaking money faster than water in a drift seine because of over-saturation. They therefore see these under-served markets as being ripe for exploitation, and building in a risk premium is desirable if not a necessity to aid in their return to profitability. I am well aware that because of the price of oil, travelling has to become more expensive, but enjoying a virtual monopoly doesn’t justify what seems at best price-gouging.
Yours faithfully,
Kenneth Frank
Editor’s note
We sent a copy of this letter to Mr Junior Horatio, General Manager of Delta Air Lines’ local operations for comment and received the following response from Raquel Chandleur, District Sales Manager for Delta Air Lines Inc:
“We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the letter written by Mr. Kenneth Frank.
Delta Air Lines is dedicated to the communities in which we operate, and as a result, we take all concerns from each community very seriously. Our official response to Mr. Frank’s letter is as follows:
“Comparing fares based on travel time is not an accurate representation of the cost of a flight, given that there are many other costs involved, including taxes, airport fees and services, and other expenses that vary from airport to airport and from country to country.
There are also many other variables that determine the final cost quoted to a customer. For example, more restrictive fares may require that tickets be purchased three weeks prior to departure. In other instances, based on how heavily a flight is booked, the cheaper, more restrictive fares may no longer be available for sale.
There are many permutations and combinations that determine a final ticket costing. Time of booking, the country in which the sale is made, and travel dates, to name a few, make the final costing variable.
Delta fares are applicable to each market it serves, and the success of our international expansion in such a tough landscape of the airline industry is proof that our prices are competitive and fair.”
