>“The Consumerist” is a useful website.

It flags a wide range of shady, devious and downright illegal practices that seem more prevalent in the US than elsewhere and provides a forum for people a) to let off steam and b) get massive publicity for their cause.

(They do, of course, also provide a platform to the lunatic fringe, which frequently appears to be too cerebrally-challenged to understand what’s going on and rants away wildly and at great length into thin air. But that’s another story….)

They got this one wrong, though.

“Consumerist” looked at AirTran’s “System-wide Summer Sale”. looked at historical data and decided that they hadn’t cut prices at all.

Which isn’t true.

Historical prices are just that – historical. Pertaining to the past. Look towards yesterday and keep going.

AirTran had a lowest fare of $158 from Atlanta to Chicago in the month prior to today.

The lowest fare from July through October is $79.

Future prices.

The retraction was swift.

Almost self-flagellatory, in fact.

Impressive.