Sydney Airfare at 350,000 KRW, Tried to Pay but... 'Lowest Price Baiting' Outrage [False Step Economy]

⑬ Thought It Was the 'Lowest Price' and Paid
Must Carefully Check on Comparison Sites

Not related to the above photo. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Editor's NoteMany people thought they were engaging in smart economic activities to get better deals, but it often turned out to be a misstep. When deceived by corporate marketing or blinded by momentary gains, wrong decisions ultimately harm consumers. We aim to examine economic activities where people have made mistakes by misjudging everyday situations.

Office worker Park Eun-kyung (42) was searching for airline tickets to take a trip over the weekend when she could hardly believe her eyes. She confirmed the lowest price and proceeded to the payment page, but the amount had more than doubled.

As the weather warms up, more people are traveling domestically and abroad. Airlines and travel agencies are competing on price by offering various discounts and promotions. She checked prices herself on airline ticket comparison sites.

Direct Price Comparison Reveals 'Huge Variations'

Photo by Skyscanner, captured from Trip.com

She compared tickets to Sydney using Skyscanner. The price offered by Norangpungseon was 352,000 KRW, relatively cheaper compared to other travel agencies charging over 1 million KRW. Searching round-trip tickets on the same day through Trip.com also showed wildly varying prices. Since conditions could be set differently based on airline, travel agency, flight time, and whether it was a direct flight, it took considerable time to compare and evaluate. After much deliberation, she tried to make a payment on the Norangpungseon site, which showed the cheapest price. However, a message appeared saying, "Reservation is not possible with the selected fare." Trying other dates yielded the same result.

Photo by Skyscanner, Jeju Air app capture

The large gap between the "lowest price" seen on the site and the amount confirmed at payment often makes consumers doubt whether the ticket they want to buy is truly the "lowest price." Even after searching the same way on several sites, the final estimated payment amount differed significantly from the initial price seen. Especially, products advertised with discounts quickly sell out and are marked as "sold out." Searching a few days later also showed the same results. Many products were "unavailable for purchase" without even the option to select them.

Prices Claimed as Final but Purchase is 'Impossible'

Various ongoing 'discount benefits'. Photo by Jeju Air, Trip.com

Even after using airline ticket comparison sites to find the "lowest price" and making a payment, consumers sometimes find cheaper tickets a few days later. Cancelling the already paid ticket incurs fees, making decisions difficult. Moreover, buying earlier than planned does not necessarily mean cheaper prices.

Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies explained, "The difficulty in purchasing airline tickets is due to many variables. Prices fluctuate depending on one-way or round-trip, dates, and waitlists." She added, "Although consumers are aware of this, making wise purchases is not easy. The only way is to carefully compare prices on comparison sites."

She also said, "Using the number advertised as the 'lowest price' to lure consumers is not a desirable practice. Final prices should be transparently disclosed to make it easier for consumers to compare."

Regarding the difficulty in purchasing tickets labeled as "lowest price" or "promotional discount," she said, "This constitutes consumer deception." She continued, "Posting tickets for sale on sites without actually having them to sell, thereby misleading consumers, is false advertising with deceptive pricing. The Fair Trade Commission needs to investigate airline ticket comparison sites and monitor cases involving false pricing on airline tickets."