American Airlines, United and Delta all now charge more on some routes when a traveling is flying on their own than when they’re booking for two or more passengers – at least on some routes.
This was uncovered in the past couple of months. Initially Delta and United pulled these fares under a barrage of criticism, but they’re back. American Airlines never backed off, even temporarily, that I could tell.
- The idea is that a solo traveler is more likely to be a business traveler, while multiple passengers traveling together are more likely to be leisure travelers.
- This often isn’t true. I’ll fly solo to meet my family for a weekend, if we’re coming from different places. And groups of frineds traveling together will often buy their own tickets! But it aligns closely enough that the airlines find this pricing technique to be useful to target different passengers for different prices.
Airlines used to use Saturday night stay requirements and advance purchase requirements to segment business travelers (whose employer is paying, usually less price sensitive) from leisure travelers (usually more concerned with price – which will decide whether they travel at all).
In fact, the requirement to fly roundtrip and even stay a Saturday night is sometimes back, after taking a break for some years following the rise of low cost carriers who didn’t use these same pricing strategies. Thrifty Traveler found that U.S. airlines now charge more for 2 one-ways than for a roundtrip more than 50% of the time.
The penalties for booking one ways separately can range wildly. Some were just a mild, $3 or $4 more each than you’d pay booking roundtrip. But in other cases, it’d cost you another $100-plus each way – including a few dozen examples where a roundtrip fare actually cost less than a one-way booking on the same route.
When the old way to separate travelers into buckets and offer them different prices stopped working as well prior to the pandemic, airlines started using new strategies. The principle way they do it now is with basic economy – restrictive fares business travelers usually won’t buy, but that those most concerned with price will endure.
In addition they’re now sometimes requiring traveling with at least two passengers to qualify for the lowest fare. Sometimes booking a roundtrip rather than two one ways will get around this, as another way to qualify.
One reader asked for advice flying American Airlines, where he’s found his usual route costs 50% more when booking a single passenger versus two passengers. In his example, flights to Charlotte come out at:
- $511 per seat if I book it for two
- $765 for a solo seat.
Here’s another example I’ve shared. Google Flights showed the cheapest fare for two passengers flying from Charlotte to Fort Myers at $422:
Two passengers traveling together, though, could pay as little as $210 apiece.
In this case even if one person was flying alone, booking two passengers would be cheaper by $2 than buying just one ticket! You’re paying a surcharge of $212 to fly alone.
It occurs to me that this isn’t a very robust pricing strategy for the airlines. Some airlines are more generous than this, but at a minimum if you’re booking at least 7 days prior to travel directly with the airline you could probably just:
- Book for two passengers
- Call the airlne, split the record so that passengers are on different reservations
- Then cancel the second passenger within 24 hours of purchase for a refund
This is like throwaway ticketing as a strategy – a one-way ticket from DC to Phoenix to Tucson might be cheaper than a non-stop from DC to Phoenix, so you buy the flight to Tucson and throw away the Phoenix – Tucson flight. And as long as you’re not checking bags or being forced to gate check your bags, since those would would go to Tucson, you’re usually going to fine.
However it is against the airline’s rules. You’re buying tickets in a manner that’s not how you intend to fly, and done at any sort of scale they’ll get mad and potentially cancel your flight or close your frequent flyer account. We haven’t seen any examples of this yet where someone circumvents the two passenger requirement for the lowest fare!
And the person who travels actually flies the exact flight they purchased. They can’t be expected in most cases to know they’re getting ‘the wrong fare’ even though it’s actually written into the fare rules.
It’s not at all uncommon that one passenger changes their plans while another takes the original trip as-scheduled. Airlines don’t tell you you’re being sold a ticket that requires passengers to fly together at the time of purchase so I’m not sure how they enforce this after purchase. We’ll see how this shakes out. It’s just a tougher fare requirement to enforce than most (and even Saturday night stays are something that’s long been circumvented on multiple trips using back-to-back ticketing).
Reminds me of how I cannot get a reservations at some top restaurants in NYC, unless it’s at least a part of 4 people. Psh. Sometimes, it ‘pays’ to have friends/family. The more the merrier, it seems…
Pure GREED
@Alan — But, but.. think of all the excess profits! *incoming… people justifying that greed*
Keep going, airlines. It will soon be true that I will not fly domestic except for work. The rules and fares are ridiculous.
My May-purchased November trip on Southwest is my last one for them.
I used to love to fly, and use to laugh at people who grumbled at what seemed like reasonable rules, to me, but it’s over the top now.
@JuliaZ — That’s not a bad stance. After all, some of these routes really do feel like ‘work’ in and of themselves (or at least, ‘a chore.’) Might as well save up for long-haul international trips, and go in-style! (Think less middle-seat, more lie-flat!)
Delta to soon start charging old widows to assist them walking across the street (or concourse).
Can’t wait for the new apps that will match solo passengers with others on the same route(s) to get around yet another “premium” revenue scam.
I don’t like this. Looking back at my own travel and sorting them into business, mixed, and no business at all, I’ve flown single for the “no business at all” and flown together for business. How about a married couple flying, one for business and the other one to tag along? The one flying for business is missed by the airline but given a discount.
This scheme is also anti-family. Many people have temporary long distance relationships before marriage.
@1990 That’s really a different situation. It’s possible that the restaurant has mostly tables for four, and seating less people there would mean less revenue for them since the seats go to waste. In this case, the airline can just sell the other seat.
Celebrity cruises started charging more for a single person in a cabin than they would if two people booked it. In the past, they’d charge 2x the regular price (less taxes on the second person), which is standard in the industry (but probably still unfair since the cruise line is saving money on food). Their excuse was that they lose the additional revenue that the second person would generate, like alcohol sales and gambling. But there’s a simple way around that, book with someone else and then have them be a no-show. You’ll get the taxes back when they miss the cruise.
So every airline executive reading this now knows that this loophole is being publicized. Brilliant.
“Airlines don’t tell you you’re being sold a ticket that requires passengers to fly together at the time of purchase”
That’s the key. Now that you told them, airlines will now be sure to notify buyers, making it enforceable.
We will need a list of which airlines play this game and which don’t.
@MisterBill — “Oh no!” (sorry, I couldn’t resist. Great reference).
I know what you mean. Le Bernardin was still worth it. Bah!
As for the cruises, I’d imagine they catch onto this, then charge extra. Though, if it works out, that’s nice work if you can get it.
@ 1990 — You should invite Tim Dunn, Erect, and Mike Hunt for dinner. You MUST record the fireworks! Maybe Facebook Live stream?
@Gene – I’ll only attend if you do too. Ya know, so we can have a one-man Statler and Waldorf section cheering us all on in real time.
Meanwhile, 1990 is on strict verbal “gah!” / “bah!” duty every 90 seconds. Should he miss one of these interjections? Shot of tequila. Reverse the order? Double shot. Go silent for more than two minutes? He has to stand up, dramatically clear his throat, and loudly declare, “I am but a hollow vessel of shame” before taking three consecutive shots.
And just to spice it up, if he slurs a single word after the halfway mark, someone gets to pick a random Taylor Swift lyric he must sing a cappella while maintaining unblinking eye contact with the nearest person (provided it’s not me).
1990 will have to be poured out if the restaurant.
This feels a lot less Muppets and a lot more Succession’s ‘Boar on the Floor.’
…Bah!
No signs of pulling the same thing on award flight pricing?
I understand that in some cases the award flight price may be directly tied to the cash price.
Looking at an early Saturday morning flight in Aug. $65 more as an individual than as a couple. But the joke is on AA because instead, as a lifetime platinum, I’ll fly Delta and save money and hassle.
Hey Isom, take good care of my empty seat (you can watch my IFE screen while you’re there)
@ Carl FLA — I can confirm that I have observed the phenomenon of two AA awards pricing (in total) for less than one.
Interesting. I just checked all my itineraries on google flights and each was exactly 2x higher for 2 people. Mostly on AA and UA but occasionally DL.
Anyone else tired of all the BS with airlines and hotels, so taking a break from it all?
@Flying Joe — Eh, we all go through cycles, personally, professionally, and there’s nothing wrong with taking a break, but plenty of folks are still flying and staying, regardless, so you do you, and come back if and when you’re ready; it should all still be there, slightly different, mostly the same, better and worse.
Why do people continue to pay to fly? I stopped riding Buses when they got this bad in the 80’s. At this point, I’d rather take a train.
“Pure GREED” How do we know that? One can frame this as an airline pricing a trip at $400, and charging two pax together $800 (2×$400), but charges a single pax $550 as greedy b@$t@rd$. Or, maybe, they price it at $500, but offer a bargain to the 2 pax combo by charging them $200 less ( (2×$500) – (2×$400). This is price discrimination. Seniors get a 10% discount at a local restaurant. Is the restaurant greedy for charging the 40 year-old $20, or $2 more than a senior at $18 for the same meal?
Frankly, I consider this to be price gouging. Guess I will have to do my shopping for flights a little differently. I do not care to support this practice.
@Cid Newman — If you find a ‘free’ way to fly, do let us know (other than employers/clients paying, or using ‘points,’ so is still ‘paying’ in a way.) Since the 80s, a lot has changed; for one, no more smoking on-board, which is probably better for your health. As for train, oof, if you’re in the USA, Amtrak has seen better days; still waiting on the new Acela cars for the NE corridor. At this rate, you might as well stay home, enjoy your comfy recliner, and ‘stream’ unlimited content as delivery services bring your food/supplies. Could be worse!
@Cid – take a train? Sure, I have a week to waste (each way) getting from Central Texas to Seattle .
But then you will have people saying we’re buying six tickets (a family of six) we should get a discount over someone just buying one ticket.
@George Romey — “People are saying…” (who’s that remind you of?)
genuine question, whats the big deal about this? I view it as a version of a “bulk discount”, the more seats you buy, the more discount you get. I can see why any business would want to offer discounts for buying more goods, so why are so many people so worked up over the airlines doing it?
I imagine Skiplag will be adding a new feature “Find a Friend to Travel With”.
United and Delta are doing this? AFIK they stopped, only American Airlines is doing it.
I wonder if the dear thought leader has even fact-checked this article before posting.
@Truth in journalism – both United and Delta *initially* pulled these fares, but American is not alone in doing this, they’re the just ones doing it at greatest scale
Just exemplifies why we increasingly just drive domestically, even very long distances. Between the price of tickets and then figuring out how to get all the stuff we need for the kid in a few checked bags without going overweight. LCCs pioneered the idea of induced demand. Now that they are in decline, traditional carriers are finding new ways to make flying sufficiently expensive that people choose not to fly.
Interesting as what I’ve found lately when trying to book on aa.com is when I book for one it gives me a fare indicating one seat and when I book for two, the fare is higher and this is notwithstanding the fact that there are no seats taken on the leg that says only one seat. I’ve actually been holding one seat at the lower fare and then booking my partner at the higher fare, which ends up still being cheaper than booking both at the higher fare. I then just call the airline and have them cross reference the reservations in the event of cancellations/delays for connections, etc.