Airlines charging more for solo flyers; lower fares available to couples.

I fly all the time and I had never heard of this. However, a few checking of fares I usually fly (to Europe, mainly) and it seems to be true.

Pretty standard capitalism death spiral towards the lowest quality for the lowest cost and highest price.

How can this be legal?

[quote] Fare-rule language supports this explanation. On United's ticketing system, certain discounted fares include the stipulation: "Must be accompanied on all sectors in same compartment by at least 1 adult 15 or older." No such requirement exists on higher-priced solo tickets.

I’m assuming one reason for this language is to prevent single travelers from booking an extra empty seat. Because the last thing they want is to give business travelers a good reason to forgo business class. But why the age minimum of 15? And what do they do if your companion for the trip is “sick” on the day of your flight? I don’t think they could keep you off the flight (although the language suggests they might), but they might give the no show seat away.

This is similar to how airlines make a flight to city A with a stopover in city B much cheaper than a direct flight to city B, but tell you that you can’t stop in city B. It’s not illogical from the airline’s perspective but it seems punitive to customers. It’s one more layer of unpleasantness.

I tolerate it in exchange for the ability to fly so cheaply. I don’t pay up for business class, the price jump just isn’t worth it to me, so I can’t complain about the quality or the airlines gaming the pricing structure to capture every possible dollar. But I’d be curious to know what kind of range ticket prices would settle into if we went back to the old days of coach being reasonably comfortable. It’s not just the seats, the last few times I’ve flown that bathrooms have smelled of piss by the end of the flight, the flight attendants are downright surly (to be fair, it’s understandable given their working conditions), and it’s hard to get a cup of water. By the end of a flight I’m simultaneously dehydrated and desperate for a clean bathroom.

I just checked this on kayak for near term, mid week, round trip flights from NYC to Charlotte and LAX. American Airlines was a little more than 10% more for a single ticket to CLT. Delta and JetBlue had no price differential for flights to LAX.

This is good to know. Next time I book a flight I’ll check and if I see a substantial difference I will be more motivated to wait and try again in a few days or experiment with shifting my travel plans.

This can’t last, it discriminates against singletons, not to mention people who may be partnered but are flying solo for business or family reasons.

A coupla lawsuits should put an end to it.

R6 - yes - there are several attorneys writing up class actions lawsuits as I type.

This won't last - makes zero sense to me.

Sweet. I'll look for the email. Maybe I'll get $5.36 in the settlement.

R8 - LOL - SOOOO true. Those class-action lawsuit payouts are a joke. The only one making money are the attorneys who hit a massive multi-million dollar payday while everyone else gets $15 or less.

When I read the article it seems like they were focused on the very cheapest fares - the 'basic' level, which usually means you can't pick your seat, limited baggage, minimum miles rewarded, no refunds or exchanges, etc.

Most business travelers do not buy that level of seat status because it's really inconvenient and doesn't maximize your miles program. Some of the flights listed were from small regional airports, which are always a lot more expensive.

Sometimes people on vacation find it cheaper to just drive the 2-3 hours to the 'big' airport where there are direct flights and it's always less expensive. Their example of Chicago to Peoria is a 2.5-3 hour drive. And then there may be a several hour layover at the 'big' airport. In the end, it can be less time to just drive to the big airport and have only 1 flight.

I'm trying to find a silver lining here - it may be that they're discounting the smaller regional flights in order to get more people to fly those routes. They need butts in seats on these small regional flights. Just getting a few more passengers can make a flight profitable.

Hopefully, that's what is going on. But R5 shows a 10% increase though at major airports - so maybe not?

Throuples only in the exit rows

And you thought you only felt lonely at the holidays.

What you need to know.

[quote]He also said booking websites may use other clues to potentially generate higher fares and prices for certain customers. “Airlines can track your search history and apply different prices based on it,” Rossen said. “So, clear your cache and cookies before logging into the airline. Better yet, search in incognito mode to avoid price hikes targeting you.”

I’ve noticed some budget carriers [italic] refuse [/italic] couples purchasing tickets the option to sit apart (for example one at the window and the other on the aisle). Their booking sites automatically assign the second flyer the middle seat and mark the formerly empty adjacent seat as “unavailable.”

Attempts to move the middle seat passenger, after purchase, to another row’s window or aisle seat “automatically” updates the companion’s seat to the adjoining middle seat (unless all middle seats have already been taken.)

Flying is such a hassle now, a totally unpleasant experience

I have wondered why airlines continue to invest in the screens/media/Direct TV etc installed into the backs of seats. 99% of people bring their own devices and watch their own downloaded content. Are cameras installed in these screens to monitor passengers? It wouldn’t surprise me .

I've stopped going to movie theaters because of cell phones, and I've stopped flying domestically if I can take Amtrak and can get a sleeper (if needed) for overnights. Retired and in no hurry.

Same publication gives opposite advice.

One day:

[quote]He also said booking websites may use other clues to potentially generate higher fares and prices for certain customers. “Airlines can track your search history and apply different prices based on it,” Rossen said. “So, clear your cache and cookies before logging into the airline. Better yet, search in incognito mode to avoid price hikes targeting you.”

Another:

[quote]In summary, no. "There is no record of flight searches being improved by using incognito mode or clearing cookies," says Nastro. Both she and Neugarten tell T+L that the "benefit" is primarily psychological. Nastro likes to think of it like a lucky t-shirt on game day: Is it really the shirt that led to the win—or was it more likely a good night's sleep, solid training, and preparation? She encourages travelers to focus on tools like flight price alerts for the best chance to snag deals on airfare.

The airlines are getting away with too much bullshit lately.

Sadly, we are very reliant on them to travel long distances, efficiently! Many of us don't have much choice BUT to fly places - and they know that and take advantage of it. If we really want to boycott something, boycott the airlines, sadly that wouldn't be practical at all.

Very soon the airlines will be charging extra if the plane lands safely.

[quote]This can’t last, it discriminates against singletons

Yes, it can. This entire world has been designed like a Noah's Ark. Couples receive all kinds of benefits and tax breaks. Hell, you can't even get a medical procedure unless you have someone pick you up.

Capitalism and the free market seem to be failing here because if one of these airlines raised their prices 15% in exchange for more leg room (aka slightly fewer seats total), cleaner toilets and better-paid FA’s / better passenger treatment overall… they would be in high demand.

Remember when the airlines all started charging for checked bags because of gas prices? The gas prices went down,yet the checked bag fee for coach remains, and thus we have this nightmare at boarding of people getting into beatdowns over overhead storage space.

They all claim they will go bankrupt if they give Americans even an inch more leg room or width. Same with checked bags. That's the claim anyway.

[quote]They all claim they will go bankrupt if they give Americans even an inch more leg room or width.

In 2024, Delta CEO Ed Bastian earned a total compensation of $27.1 million, which is about 21% lower than the $34.2 million he earned in 2023. In 2023, Bastian's compensation included a one-time bonus after leading the company through the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's discrimination!

Now I read there are "standing" seats

R13, I'm glad they airlines do that. These couples are being very selfish and entitled, hoping to get a row to themselves. Instead, the unwitting middle passenger is made to feel uncomfortable and asked to move.

I'm glad there is an class action suit to end this practice. It is discriminatory. Airlines do some of the dumbest things.

Interestingly, I'm finding hotels in Europe are accommodating single travelers with single rooms. They are smaller but less expensive. The same is true for cruise ships. I only travel solo unless it is someone I'm fucking around with.

Ahh, the “unwitting” middle seat flyer can’t be coerced to move to another seat if the plane is full (and these days they almost always are.)

(Also, why shouldn’t early booking customers be able to choose the seats they prefer ?)

The culprits ar American, Delta and United.

I flew on American for business before I retired - well over 250K miles during my last five years working. I always flew solo, as did many business travelers. It was easy to spot other business travelers. On a normal hub to hub flight on a weekday (excluding the summer months), I would say 75% of my flights comprised solo business travelers. AA would be as insane as trump for trying to raise fares on most of their business travelers. Or even raising fares on solo business travelers who are flying solo, but for pleasure. Can the airlines make flying any more difficult or unpleasant?

[quote]It's worth noting that after this pricing tactic was exposed, Delta did update its fares nationwide on Friday afternoon and is no longer charging more for solo travelers, offering the same fares for solo travelers and groups of travelers. United followed this move, updating its fares on Friday evening. American, however, had not updated its fares as of Sunday.

It's high time for class action suits against companies discriminating against singles in pricing, particular the mobile phone carriers which have been getting away with the practice for years!

Here's one for you, Congressperson Clueless.

^ particularly