Fast Food Watch: McDonald's Adopts Airline Pricing Model for Value Meals

As those about to leave or just returning from summer holidays know, buying an airline seat for the best price is a mix of luck, flexibility, skill, and luck. Why two seats on the same flight in the same class sell for significantly different prices is a mystery to everyone except airlines CEOs.

In fact, it appears that a top McDonald's executive must have been flying recently when he or she exclaimed, "Eureka! We could price our value meals in the same stultifying way as airline seats!" At least that's what now seems to be happening at McDonald's in our fair city. For explanatory purposes, we'll use McDonald's best-known product, the two-kuai ice cream cone the Big Mac value meal.

The retail price for a Big Mac value meal, including a Big Mac, a medium fries and a medium Coca-Cola is RMB 27. No super-size, no toys, just the three items. However, between 10am and 2pm, as a lunchtime promotion, the meal is RMB 19. Some other unseen promotion between 2 and 5pm sets the price at RMB 22.

Then, from 8pm to 5am, the value meal is full price, but customers may add a selection of RMB 10 items for free, including a McFlurry sundae or five-pieces of Chicken McNuggets.

As long as the McDonald's visit doesn't fall between the hours of 5 and 8pm, the meal alone is never full price. Either McDonald's is really busy during dinner, or they're really going out of their way to boost revenue the rest of the day.

Photo: Business Insider