Recap: Finnair Joins Avios, AA Suing Skiplagged, Swagbucks Change & More

View Comments (26)

• dang i didn't know purchasing swagbucks counted as the 10% lol

• Didn't they already (unsuccessfully) sue skiplagged years ago?

• Is booking a round-trip ticket with no intention of using the return leg considered skiplagging?

  • Yes...

• Did Skiplag bait and switch Un-American Airlines? Why are they so pissed all the time?

• I really hope airlines continue to lose their frivolous lawsuits against skiplagging, maybe it will force them to start living in reality instead of their upside-down fantasy world of route pricing.

  • Exactly. Until airlines bring back segment-based pricing or abandon over-booking flights we should not have any sympathy for the airlines against Skiplagged.

  • well..route pricing is just "supply-demand" no?

    • No.

    • It seems to be the only industry that can punish customers for not using the entirety of the product or service they purchased.

      A few weeks ago I left a concert before the headliner came on. No one banned me or charged me a penalty.

      I've also checked out of hotels early and the worst that has happened is I get charged for the unused night anyway.

      It's not supply and demand that bothers people. It's the monopolization of various markets at the aid of the government and the attempt to stick it to the consumer in the process. They're trying to have it both ways. In a competitive market their pricing wouldn't be possible.

      • This just isn't true.

        As an example, I've been to all-you-can-eat, made-to-order restaurants. If you eat everything you order, then it's the standard rate. But if you don't eat something they prepared, you have to pay an additional fee for that, a la carte (you can take it home if you want).

        Your example with the hotel actually shows another situation. Yes, I have heard of people being barred from a hotel because they canceled their reservation/left early. No, it is not at all common at all and only happens in egregious cases.

        It's also just in the contract of carriage that you won't do this.

        And you're just straight up lying. In a competitive market, skip lagging is still potentially cheaper. You can find examples by searching for skip lagged fares in competitive markets, where they do exist.

        To be clear, I don't like the airlines doing this thing. I'm just pointing out how wrong you are.

        • Yeah, you know, the ‘contract of carriage’, that thing every passenger reads, all of, every time they fly, like the iTunes terms of service. See page 497, subsection ii.

        • A restaurant charging for food that doesn't get eaten - understand that. Restaurant incurs a cost buying food, prepping them and serving. So, they are justified in doing that. What cost does AA incur if a passenger doesn't fly? They have already taken the money from the passenger. What is the justification for AA if a passenger doesn't want to travel?
          Apparently, AA(or any other airline) have no problem if passenger misses the entire journey as they can tack on penalties for no-show, crazy fees etc. But god forbid, a passenger saved themselves some money by taking a circuitous route.

        • @Anonymous = troll or airline employee
          Comparing airline fares to a buffet? And you're calling someone a liar? *face palm*

        • And you're just as stupid. First, I'm not a troll or airline employee. I literally wrote that I don't like the airlines doing this.

          Second, please learn to read. I never once wrote buffet because that's not what I'm talking about. Please look up in a dictionary what a buffet is. All-you-can-eat is not the same as a buffet.

          And third, I explained my other points above.

          Face palm to you when you can't even read.

        • What is wrong with you?

        • Lol I appreciate you telling me how wrong i am when you clearly didn't understand my examples at all.

          The airline comparison would involve NOT taking leftovers home from a buffet, yet STILL being charged extra for what you left on your plate. Never heard of a restaurant doing that. The skiplagger didn't take the flight. That's what skip lagging is.

          Again, never heard of a hotel barring someone for leaving early even after paying full price for the reservation. I'm not talking about refusing to pay for booked nights, I'm talking about paying anyway even when you don't use all the nights. The skip lagger paid for a flight he didn't take.

          And the competitive market you speak of doesn't exist with airlines. The question was "isn't that just supply/demand?" And the answer is no. If there's higher demand in a market, supply would increase to reach an equilibrium. If there's demand for nonstop flights from FL to NC, the route in the story, it doesn't matter. AA virtually owns that market due to government regulations and subsidizations. So the only thing that increases is price, as it moves up to push demand back down. If you think a competitor could just establish the same route and compete against a legacy airline at one of their hubs you clearly don't know how wrong you are.

          Have a nice day

        • I've also seen other restaurants that DO charge extra for what is left on the plate and NOT taking leftovers.

          Also, please read. I did not say "buffet". That word means something specific. Buffet does not mean the same thing as all-you-can-eat. Buffet is a physical setup where the food is lined up, and it's often (but not always) self-service. That's almost the exact opposite of made-to-order, which is why I never said buffet.

          There are cases where a person booked in bulk for an event, and then the person tried to cancel the reservation for whatever reason. In response, the hotel attempted to charge the person for not only the full rate but also an additional fee. When the person refused, the hotel banned them.

          "doesn't exist with airlines" You're just wrong. Again, I specifically said some markets. You're ignoring where I said that the competitive markets do exist in some places. Some places are served by multiple airlines and airports and do have competition, and yet skip lagged flights are still sometimes cheaper.

          I can forgive some of the stuff that you said, but you just refused to read on a fundamental level.

        • When a liar lies, they argue semantics. Buffet is synonymous with all you can eat. Keep defending airlines monopolistic practices, shill.

        • Which restaurants and hotels have government aid in the same way that these airlines do?

        • "in the same way that these airlines do" is impossible to answer without you specifying.

          Do restaurants and hotels get government aid in any form? Yes, obviously. "in the same way that these airlines do" can be changed to mean whatever you want.

• Swagbucks must have lost quite a lot of money for those buying SB at nominal price. They lost 10% referral + 2-3% credit card processing fee. It makes sense to stop awarding the 10% referral to keep it in business, though as a customer, I don’t like it.

  • Don't forget all the monthly bonuses they had to payout including the leveling up bonuses at lvl 9 and 10. R.I.P.

  • Paying 21.99 for 2000 + 200 + monthly bonus + CC rewards/progress to SUB was solid for what I recall a DoC poster labeling as "pajama MS" years ago.

• I stopped receiving 10% on P2's referrals for anything other than surveys over a year ago. All those 2000 S+ in house product trials, i get 1 SB referral on. Tickets never get a response on this subject.

  • I've given up on SB due to repeatedly not getting credit for particular deals and then never getting an acceptable response when I file a ticket. I honestly think that they are hiring employees who either don't care or are completely clueless.