Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
You’re Probably Overpaying for Flights When Booking Tickets Like This
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American, Delta, and United are allegedly using similar pricing tactics.
Solo travelers often get the short end of the stick when booking hotel rooms and group tours. But, unbeknownst to many, U.S. airlines are also seemingly making them pay extra for flying alone. This penalty was discovered by Thrifty Traveler last week, when its executive editor, Kyle Potter, found that Delta was charging more for single tickets than when booking for two or a group. His investigation later revealed that he found it is not just Delta using these pricing tactics; American Airlines and United also allegedly follow this practice.
Potter provided examples. For a one-way trip from Minneapolis to Miami in September, Delta charged $199 for a solo ticket. When he added another passenger, the price dropped to $118 per person. Expanding his search, Potter found United did something similar. On a flight from Chicago to Peoria, Illinois, the fare was $269 for one, but dropped to $181 each for two in economy. When searching for two, the same itinerary showed basic economy fares at $151 per passenger—an option missing for solo travelers. Opening a new fare bucket for groups, rather than raising prices as more people book, is the reverse of airlines’ typical approach.
For American Airlines, the price difference was even more pronounced. On a route from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Fort Myers, Florida, solo travelers paid $422, while two could book the same flight for $266 per person—or less on a basic economy ticket ($231), which was not an option for solo travelers.