According to the CBC, we’re a bunch of scoundrels who try and scam consumers out of their hard earned vacation dollars. I resent that. I’ve only ever cheated one consumer out of his bank account (and his Porsche, and New York condo – but that’s what a good divorce lawyer is for).
The headline reads “Online travel site sells unavailable flights” and attempts to link the gaffe to the retailer being non-IATA. The apparent upshot of this is that “The IATA says that means they don’t have access to the most up-to-date prices.” Now you read that, and you think ‘where to begin’? It’s all so wrong. Do financial journalists write a lot of nonsense and pass it off as news? Can sports writers say “Crosby landed the goal with a lovely ‘grand jete’?” Would a social columnist last a day by calling a pair of Manolos a pair of Choos? I don’t think so.
But when it comes to travel, every half-baked nincompoop is an expert. Ya. FlightNetwork sells hundreds of thousands of dollars of air but it’s all a bit off because of that sticky non-IATA business.
And I love how the story insinuates that consumers should be wary of buying ‘deals’. Give me a break. How many of our businesses would last one day if we didn’t use the most highly regarded word in a consumer’s travel vocabulary: deal.
I need a drink.
