What do you mean by flat pricing? That everyone travelling between two cities pays the same fare? Because that certainly doesn't (or shouldn't) happen anywhere. Airline tickets are substanially different from standard goods (be that cars, clothing or whatever else)
Why shouldn't it happen anywhere? What makes airline tickets so different? I think you're confusing the fact that airlines have gotten their operations so screwed up that they have to resort to crazy, opaque pricing with some idea that it's necessary.
I mean, sure, fuel prices go up and down, so it's not like prices should remain static from even day-to-day, but doesn't it strike you as absolutely weird that two people on the same flight may have paid wildly different fares?
For airlines travelling to China: Demand is different depending on whether it is close to Chinese New Year or not. Chinese people travel far from their homes to work and every Chinese New Year they return home to celebrate. There are going to be so much more demand then than most other months. As the demand changes but supply remains relatively constant, the price must change to accommodate.
I wasn't making the argument that prices should remain static regardless of demand, day of the week, or any other factor.
My point was that the airlines have created a pricing system so opaque that it can actually become a deterrent to travel. Why do people sitting next to each other on the same flight pay wildly different fares?
It's the same with clothing. Demand for fashion is extremely fickle, but the supply is relatively fixed- the stores order their inventory ahead of time and what they don't sell they have to put on clearance, send to TJMaxx, etc. And like flights, that trendy four-button blazer has a "shelf-life."
