Solo travelers pay more than groups for economy flights on major US airlines: report
Issue pertains mostly to one-way fares
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Solo and business-class travelers are paying more for airline tickets on major U.S. carriers than group travelers, according to a recent report.
Flight deal analysts at Thrifty Traveler, a flight alert service, recently analyzed hundreds of daily routes and discovered that American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are all charging solo travelers higher fares.
To illustrate their findings, they searched for a one-way United flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to nearby Peoria next month for a single passenger, which cost $269. But when they searched for multiple passengers booking the same economy ticket, the price dropped to $181 per person.
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The analysts realized the fine print of each fare breaks down why this happens.
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 sits at the gate at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson / Reuters)
According to the analysts, if someone searches for one passenger, the lowest economy price they will get on United is a Q economy fare. But when searching for multiple passengers, customers are put into a cheaper fare class, which United called a "deep discount coach" ticket.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 11.28 | +0.15 | +1.35% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 79.18 | +1.63 | +2.10% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 49.59 | +0.62 | +1.27% |
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In another scenario, it searched for a one-way flight on American Airlines from Charlotte to Fort Myers in October. For one traveler, it cost at least $422. However, for two passengers, the cost drops to just $266 per person.
A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner at Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia. (James D. Morgan via Getty Images / Getty Images)
They discovered this issue mainly pertains to one-way domestic fares. They have not seen this happen for round-trip or long-haul international flights. They also haven't noticed this trend on carriers such as Alaska, JetBlue or Southwest, according to the report.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALK | ALASKA AIR GROUP INC. | 49.35 | +0.35 | +0.72% |
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 4.28 | +0.07 | +1.66% |
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 32.17 | +0.63 | +2.00% |
Delta Air Lines declined to comment. However, according to the airline, this pricing structure is not new to Delta or the airline industry.
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FOX Business reached out to United and American for comment.
An American Airlines jet taxis to a gate at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Susan Weinstock, CEO of the Consumer Federation of America, told FOX Business that travelers deserve fair and transparent pricing.
"Airlines shouldn’t be penalizing travelers for flying solo, especially when this pricing practice is hidden from the public view," Weinstock said.