What is the fallacy of equal outcome but presumed to be inequal?

Historical archive only. New interaction is disabled.

Original Question

For example a passenger complains of a "low-cost" airline that charges passengers for just about every facility used on board from headsets to food and drink.

Yet the same passenger praises another airline for having "free" in-flight facilities despite having a much higher ticket fare.

As we can see, it's basically coming to the same thing. Yet the fallacy here is it's being depicted as one charging more than the other, despite offering the same facilities.

What is the name for this fallacy?

Comments on Question

I don't think it's a fallacy but just a bias.

Answers

This would be an example of anchoring bias, where someone's judgement on something is in comparison to the first piece of information they've received. The person in this case would have "anchored" themselves to the base ticket price, so the add ons make it seem more expensive.

The fallacy at play here is the "Perceived Value Fallacy." This occurs when someone assigns a higher value to something simply based on their perception, despite the actual outcome being the same. In this case, the passenger mistakenly believes that the airline with "free" facilities is offering a better deal, when in reality, they are ultimately paying for those amenities through a higher ticket fare. It's like believing you got a great deal on a "free" dessert because the restaurant increased the prices of all the other dishes. So, let's call this fallacy the "Invisible Cost Fallacy" because it magically makes people think something is truly free when it's just hidden within a higher price.

Want the full book?

Get the complete guide to logical fallacies by Bo Bennett.

Buy the Book

Master Logical Fallacies Online

Take the Virversity course and sharpen your reasoning skills with structured lessons.

View Online Course