FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDIO - 10:00
Smartphone in hand, PETER checks an airline app.
PETER (V.O.): Today is Monday, the Feb-2024 air ticket I've in mind should have gone up...
Checking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Surprise, it's $200 cheaper than yesterday.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): A fortnight ago, when I checked the price of the air ticket, it was very expensive and I didn't follow up.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): During the long holidays a week ago, I was lured to check the price and found that it had gone down by 30%.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): When I meant to book my flights last Monday, I found that the price had risen by 15%.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. SOLICITORS FIRM, LONDON - DAY (1987)
Conference room. Peter MARTIN is conducting a tutorial. Peter (33) is among a group of STUDENTS.
PETER (V.O.): He is the co-author of Shawcross and Beaumont: Air Law.
We feel the Partner's authentic demeanour.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Everyone enjoys his tutorial as he talks about commercial practice in the Air Law context.
MARTIN: ...Once the cabin door is closed, a vacant seat is worth $0...
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): True, point-to-point flights are the norm. Aircraft aren't buses.
MARTIN (Cont'd): Dynamic pricing is necessary...
Observing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): He's a charismatic person...
MARTIN (Cont'd): I'm very attached to Bin...
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh! Bin is Professor Bin Cheng, the author of: "The Law of International Air Transport".
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I'm fortunate enough that they're teaching me on the private and public aspects of Air Law.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): My air ticket fare chase has triggered my memories decades ago.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I wanted to practise Air Law but has never had the opportunity.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I've flown a lot though.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): For business, I don't care much about the price. For leisure, that's different.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): To secure the best possible deals for goods or services is like a game to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Just like in a game, it requires strategy, timing, and a bit of luck.
EXT. GOLDEN BEACH - 12:45
Lying on the golden sand, Peter sees an aircraft descending.
PETER (V.O.): To capitalize on the increased demand and limited availability of seats, it's unlikely the airline would lower the price further for high season air tickets.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But in Feb this year, I just had a couple of days to fix my travel to Sapporo. The price wasn't prohibitive.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Perhaps, the market demand wasn't high then.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): Anyhow, I'd better persuade myself that I don't have to see the Sapporo Snow Festival for the 4th time.
Act 3
INT. STUDIO - 22:30
Working before his laptop, Peter is wondering.
PETER (V.O.): Airlines monitor and adjust prices based on real-time market conditions, competitor actions and demand fluctuations.
Typing natural language in his smartphone, Peter instructs his 文心一言 assistant.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): See if she can depict "Airline pricing is like a roller coaster ride".
Repeating his prompts a few times, Peter selects an impressionistic AI drawing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Like any business, striving to find the optimal balance between maximizing revenue and meeting customer expectations is hard too.
FADE OUT
THE END
Comments