JetBlue Airways is under scrutiny after a deleted social media post suggested to a customer that clearing their browser history could result in better airfare.
“I love flying @JetBlue but a $230 increase on a ticket after one day is crazy,” the X user wrote. “I’m just trying to make it to a funeral.”
JetBlue replied, saying, “try clearing your cache and cookies or booking with an incognito window. We’re sorry for your loss.”
JetBlue eventually said that the social media post “was incorrect and we apologize for the error”. It added, “JetBlue fares on JetBlue.com and our mobile app are not determined by cached data or other personal information.”
JetBlue’s post has been deleted but has renewed longstanding pricing allegations against US airlines.
Consumers have accused US airlines of so-called surveillance pricing. This practice uses personalized data to determine how much a customer may be willing to spend on airfare.
House Representative Greg Casar and Senator Ruben Gallego, both Democratic lawmakers, wrote to JetBlue’s CEO, Joanna Geraghty, on Tuesday regarding the airline’s pricing practices.
Lindsay Owens, who leads the Groundwork Collaborative think tank, said that “JetBlue accidentally tweeted their cold-blooded confession: they are using customers’ search history against them to drive up prices.”
Tracking digital footprints using cookies and browsing history allows businesses to build profiles of customers’ spending habits or willingness to pay for certain products. This is allowed under US law. However, consumer rights groups have openly criticized companies over it.
Grace Gedye, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said: “We are seeing more evidence of these types of pricing practices and call on lawmakers to introduce new rules that would require transparency in pricing practices and prohibit surveillance pricing.”
Despite changes in airfares, US airlines have denied engaging in surveillance pricing practices. Last year, Delta Air Lines denied allegations that it uses AI to inform its dynamic pricing model.
Delta released a statement in August, saying, “There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualised prices based on personal data.”
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