alt Hacker NewsI think it's kinda race to the bottom / lemons market. A lot of people search for flights through aggregators so you need to optimize for the price shown there, and the customer doesn't know if that's the real price or if there'll be add ons so they won't go for a more expensive one on faith.
Best bet is finding out which airline treats you best and going all the way to a loyalty card with them or something I guess? that seems to work out a little better
I've heard it said that airlines make all their money from interest payments on points. That is the credit card companies are buying miles today, and when the flight is taken the airline faces the charge in between that time they invest the money and collect the interest.
I'm not sure if it is true, but it is an interesting insight even if not strictly true.