In every transaction with an airline there are two customers. The first is the one who buys the ticket. He wants the best deal and is willing to go to another web site to save ten bucks. The second is the customer who shows up and acts as if he bought first class.
Is the author objecting to that? It’s basically just a form of haggling in both cases. “I’ll take the tomatoes for $1.00, final offer” and “Okay, now give me the nice red ones!”
-- David Henderson quoting a flight attendant
As far as cynical but practical very-mildly-Machiavellian life advice goes that has potential. (I’m not sure if that was the intended message...)
Is the author objecting to that? It’s basically just a form of haggling in both cases. “I’ll take the tomatoes for $1.00, final offer” and “Okay, now give me the nice red ones!”