People say the same thing about stores jacking up prices on bread, water, batteries, etc before a storm. The result is that these items are sold at their usual price and are wiped out by the first few people who show up. If they were sold based on market value, then people would have to consider how many gallons of water at they REALLY need before they load 20 of them into their shopping cart.
Logically they should say the same thing about bread, water, etc. all the time. Did you know you’ll die in a month or so without food? Grocery stores profit off of this fact. They charge a price for your life!!!
Those things get wiped out anyway. Didn't you see the pictures of the stores before Sandy?
If you are truly concerned about the food and water supplies getting spread around appropriately, a rationing system makes more sense. Someone can still come in and buy it all up. Jacking up the price dosn't stop that - it just changes who has the resources to do it.
If the airline had raise the price from (for example) $400 per ticket to $450, it wouldn't have been a huge deal in my view. But to jack it up to $4,000 is appalling - and immoral in my view.