Is it theoretically possible to guarantee lowest price or route for airline tickets?

A study from a computer scientist has highlighted the complexity of airline ticket pricing, stating that its impossible for computer system or travel agent to offer the best fare at any given time.

“It is theoretically impossible to guarantee that one can find the best route or price” at any given time, reportedly said Carl de Marcken, chief scientist and co-founder of ITA Software.

“That’s because the pricing system used by airlines is so complicated. There are millions of possible combinations of fare factors for any given trip, he said, and the airlines’ computer systems are constantly adjusting their fares,” its been shared according to media. As per the information available, the scientist looked at all the factors that can affect a ticket price — airline rules, dates and times of flights, the route taken and many others. He breaks down fares into individual components called “pricing units”, which further complicate things.

“For one sample flight, an American Airlines trip between Boston and San Francisco that could connect at either Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago, he concluded that there are nearly 25 million ways to arrive at a fare.
He said it’s impossible for travel agents to assert that they’re offering the best fare at any given time, given the system’s complexity.” 

“No computer system or travel agent could ever make such a claim,” he reportedly said.

The report is available at:

http://www.demarcken.org/carl/papers/ITA-software-travel-complexity/ITA-software-travel-complexity.html