It's not the $9.99 airfare sales you should watch out for. It's the $599 sales.

My first job was with Northwest Airlines, and my first experience in the airline industry was working a reservation desk at the old Northwest Airlines Reservation Center. I was just a kid at the time and thought it was so cool to be able to work in an environment that I loved, but that job was also the most difficult job I ever had, and it was the most frustrating. I have a lot of respect for people who work in call centers, and I believe that if you have not done this kind of job, you have no idea what it's like.<br><br>One of the most common complaints we got from our agents was the airlines that had the worst sales tactics and sales abuse. They would give us sales tactics to tell customers that were absolutely deceptive and just plain wrong.<br><br>For example, if you had a sale for $599, you would not say anything negative about the regular fare, but you would say that it was a sale price, and that it would never go this low again. You were instructed to tell people that they would not be able to get the same kind of accommodations or services on the next available flight, if there was another flight available, and to make sure the person had their passport if it was an international flight. You would tell them that it was not possible to sell it for any less because it was just a one-time sale. If someone wanted two tickets, you would give them one at the sale price and the other at a much higher fare. You would say that you had to honor the sale price because of the price you were given.<br><br>You could not say anything negative about the sale price. If someone asked you if the $599 fare was cheaper than the regular fare, you had to say that you couldn't make comparisons between the sale price and other fares. <br><br>We got into trouble for saying the fare was the cheapest we had. We had to be told that we should never make a guarantee about prices. I think some airlines got fined for their sales tactics, but I don't know for sure.<br><br>What is so egregious about these kinds of tactics is that the people you are trying to sell are not people who are looking for a bargain. They are people who are looking to buy the cheapest ticket they can buy. You are preying on people's lack of knowledge.<br><br>I can't tell you how many times I had to explain to someone why the fare I gave them was not the cheapest. They thought I had done something wrong. <br><br>I have also noticed that airlines are using tactics like this more and more, especially since the pandemic.<br><br>What is even worse is that these tactics are used by companies that make billions of dollars a year, and these tactics are used to take advantage of people who are not making a lot of money.