MAJOR US airlines are reportedly charging certain passengers more when booking tickets, according to a travel expert.
Three of the country’s biggest airlines—American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta—charge solo travelers more compared to those traveling in a group, site Thrifty Traveler has claimed.
The practice isn’t widespread, but a team of flight deal analysts searched through hundreds of routes daily to confirm that it’s “real and undeniable.”
“Whether it’s been just days, months, or even years, it’s something that few everyday travelers may realize is happening … or how much it might be costing them,” wrote Kyle Potter.
As an example, a price for a one-way United flight from Chicago-O’Hare Airport to Peoria costs approximately $269.
However, if the traveler has about two to four passengers, the price plummets to almost a third of that.
“Just $181 apiece for that exact same standard economy ticket,” wrote Potter.
This dynamic pricing only appears to happen with one-way domestic flights, not round-trip fares or international bookings.
Potter also explained that the phenomena hasn’t been seen on other major US airlines like Alaska, JetBlue, or Southwest.
While it hasn’t been confirmed why solo travelers are being charged more, Potter believes it’s a way for the airlines to keep “segmenting” their customers, such as charging business travelers who pay with a corporate card more while giving a better deal to families or groups on the same flight.
Another example showed a possible solo flier having to shell out at least $422 for a one-way American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Fort Myers, Florida, on October 13.
However, for two passengers, the ticket cost drops to $266 per person for the same flight.
The last example had a flight from Chicago-O’Hare to Lexington, Kentucky, giving a solo passenger $214 whether they fly from United or American, said Potter.
But two passengers only have to pay $108 each for the flight with a total cost of $215.
PRICE HIKE QUESTIONS
It’s unclear how this alleged pricing strategy began, however, Potter said that it’s a massive change in how airlines set prices, which will leave customers shocked.
Airlines don’t usually charge solo travelers more, and bulk discounts aren’t a common practice, but Potter believes it boils down to how airlines actually sell tickets.
“Carriers aren’t just selling economy, extra legroom, and first class tickets but an alphabet soup of different fare classes, each at a different price,” he wrote.
“If there’s only one fare available at the cheapest $118, searching for two would only yield fares at a higher, $199 price point.”
Potter believes airlines are trying to cater to different customers at once, as they’re more likely to be on business trips with their flights paid off by their employers, meaning they won’t care about paying extra.
“Of course, not all travelers booking solo tickets are charging flights to a corporate card. There are flyers heading out to attend to a family emergency,” said Potter.
“Friends booking flights separately. Spouses going on a trip who leave a day or two after one another. And many, many more.”
CUSTOMERS REACT
The story went viral on social media after travel influencer Brian Kelly shared it on Instagram to his over 416,000 followers.
“I personally think this is greed getting out of control and the airlines are just ASKING for government intervention,” he wrote in the caption.
There were thousands of comments from users, sharing their frustrations with the supposed price hike.
“I’m married, with a spouse in the army who is currently deployed,” wrote one person.
“I travel alone…a LOT. And this upsets me tremendously.”
Another person explained that solo travelers already have to pay more for accommodations and transportation.
“At least let us have the flights!”
A third person wrote: “A seat is a seat. Should cost the same per person regardless of 1 or or 4.”
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/travel/14364306/us-airlines-charging-extra-single-ticket-passengers/
