Actually, I think it's more for the cheap bastards that are willing to give up all semblance of convenience and control just to save a few bucks. Or those that truly just don't care where they end up and how long it takes to get there.

 

I don't use priceline for flights because I usually need exact times. I have used them multiple times for hotels and car rentals and have gotten some really good matches from time to time and never have been screwed over.

 

The name your own price thing is essentially bidding for the crap no one wants to pay for. A recipe for disaster if you're using it for air travel.

However, I've booked with priceline for hotels where they list the location, rating, price, and a list of possible properties, but don't tell you the name until after you've committed. It always feel like I'm rolling the dice, but so far so good. Just had a great experience on a weekend out of town, booked the day of arrival. I'm guessing those options are leftover/unsold from the name your own price scheme?

 

I always use cheaptickets.com and hotels.com. Never had a single problem yet.