My former colleague nearly broke into tears after hearing the recent news that Priceline, the website that popularized the “name-your-own-price” option for airline travel, is considering doing away with the option. Apparently, the company has seen a sharp decline in the number of travelers exercising the right to name-their-own price. Currently, Priceline still offers the option for air travel, but has increasingly turned to selling regular published fares.
Priceline’s CEO says, “Our opaque airline ticket business has been shrinking dramatically over the last couple of years.” He goes on to say that the site’s airfare-bidding bookings are down 30 to 40% over the last couple of years. The decline is likely due to a rise in low-cost carriers and the more simplified fare structures from traditional airlines. Basically, travelers can get lower prices elsewhere… and don’t have to endure the inconvenience of waiting for their Priceline bids to be accepted.
One of the main reason I hardly ever used Priceline is that you have no control over your flight times. With Priceline’s system you could be put on any flight within a 16-hour window on both your outbound and return portions of your trip. But, then there is Stacia (my distraught friend), she is single, in her late-twenties and can fly on a moments notice. She has gotten some unbelievable travel deals with Priceline’s “name-your-own-price” option. I remember one flight she booked from Minneapolis to Phoenix… she paid $99 for a round trip ticket! How do you beat that?
Of course, getting from Minneapolis to Phoenix with a bid of $99 could mean you would be flying from Minneapolis to Atlanta then to Cincinnati before arriving in Phoenix. That was the other reason I didn’t do much business on Priceline. But, for every person who shares my opinions, there are just as many, if not more travelers like Stacia who are crossing their fingers and holding out hope that Priceline doesn’t completely abandon their “name-your-own-price” option for air travel. Could this mean the end of Stacia’s $99 deals?