Why Can’t You Find a Good Deal Online Anymore

July 27, 2006

Shortly after the dot-com bubble burst, I was in my early years of college, drinking too much, getting shot down relentlessly by hopelessly attractive girls, etc. But I was internet savvy, which gave me a leg up, so-to-speak. Most of my friends from high school never jumped on the internet bandwagon - they don’t use AIM, they never really used e-mail until they got a job that required them to use it, they don’t know what a “blog” is, let alone an aggregator or something of that sort. But I was able to exploit my basic knowledge of the internet and computers to get alot of cool stuff. Cheap travel - I was able to plan a two-week stint across Europe without ever dialing a phone or calling a travel agent. And when you don’t like talking to people (I don’t), that’s a plus. I saved a bunch of money on textbooks. Hell, I’m even “saving a bunch of money on car insurance,” although, not through GEICO. All this stuff kicks much ass.

But I remember the day when it used to actually feel like you were getting “a deal” buying things online. You used to be able to peruse travel sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and compare them with the major carriers, or with each other. I spent alot of time finding a cheap flight to Houston in December of 2001, which now would be unwarranted. I would no longer spend 10 hours finding a way to save $30 on a flight. Back then, my time was pretty much worthless. Today though, I don’t even bother with travel websites. I’ve learned through experience that Southwest has cheaper flights than pretty much anyone, ever, and they can take me most places here from Detroit. If Southwest doesn’t cut it, then I’ll check AirTran out of Flint/Detroit. Or I’ll purchase directly from Northwest. Southwest and Airtran don’t even list their flights on the “discount” websites, and if you book an NWA flight through one of them, you pay a service fee. No thanks.

All this price competition between airlines has left people like me to feel like I’m no longer getting a deal. A one-way flight from ATL to DTW next saturday afternoon is the same price at Northwest, Airtran, and Delta. I know it’s a decent price. I just feel like I’m not getting a good deal, because it doesn’t look like I’m getting a good deal.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon?


Posted in: Potpourri

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