It's a ploy to keep your money. They advertise a really low "internet only" fare for which you can only use "new money." They then have an "everyday fare" for which you can apply those unused funds. Totally "bait and switch" but it's legal. Most of the US based airlines have dropped those practices because it did create animosity towards them.
One airline I fly often, Alaska, used to have similar web specials. You could not apply any unused ticket funds, once purchased you could not make ANY changes whatsoever either. It was a "use it or lose it" proposition. There were so many customer service complaints which arose from those fares that they decided to abandon them all together. They still have "web specials" however you can change them (for a fee) or apply the value of another ticket towards them. They're not, however, the screaming deals they used to be so I guess in the end there's always a trade-off.
|