CNN
—
Solo travelers have long faced higher prices when it comes to group tours and it seems that the so-called “single supplement” is being applied to flights as well.
Three of the biggest US airlines have been charging higher fares for solo flyers on some domestic routes, according to a recent investigation by consumer travel website Thrifty Traveler.
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines were charging what some described as “a tax on single travelers” on certain routes, Thrifty Traveler’s analysis found, with a fare doubling in at least one instance.
Following its initial report, Thrifty Traveler continued to follow solo pricing for airline tickets and found that by Friday at least two of the airlines it had been tracking had rolled back the higher single flyer pricing.
CNN reached out to all three carriers on Saturday. Delta Air Lines declined to comment, and United and American did not immediately respond.
Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins how he noticed a significant price difference while searching for a Delta Air Lines flight to New York for one passenger and then adding a second passenger and completing a new search.
While the amount for a flyer traveling solo was $206, this decreased to $154 when two passengers were traveling together, Potter told Collins.
“That’s not how airfare typically works,” he said. “It’s usually the reverse.”
Potter said he noticed the same thing was happening on “dozens” of different domestic routes on Delta, along with United Airlines and American Airlines, adding that the practice is “not widespread.”
When approached by CNN on Thursday, Delta said that the fare structures were not new to Delta or the airline industry, but declined to provide an official statement.
CNN also approached United Airlines and American Airlines earlier this week for comment.
Examples found by Thrifty Traveler included a one-way United Airlines flight from Chicago to Asheville, NC, listed as $223 for one passenger, which fell to $207 in total for two passengers, meaning that it was actually cheaper for two people to travel than a passenger going solo.
Meanwhile, a one-way flight with American Airlines from Charlotte, NC, to Fort Myers, FL, in October was listed as $422 for one passenger traveling solo, but dropped to around $266 per person when two passengers were traveling together.
The discrepancies were “almost exclusively” found on one-way routes, according to Thrifty Traveler’s investigation.
“It is not widespread,” Potter said, pointing out that he was unable to find any instances of this pricing structure on international flights.
“It’s pretty hit or miss. But this is undeniable that it’s happening.”
While reports of the price discrepancies may come as a surprise to some passengers, Potter points out airlines have been “writing this into their fare rules.”
For example, Delta’s fine print outlines “accompaniment restrictions,” on some of its fares, stating that travelers “must be accompanied on all sectors in same compartment by at least 1 adult.”
Meanwhile, United Airlines advises that passengers “must be accompanied on all sectors in same compartment by at least 1 adult 15 or older” for some of its fares.
Brian Kelly, founder of ThePointsGuy, told Collins that the fare discrepancies seemed “deceptive,” as not all passengers would be aware of the cost difference.
“I think the airlines need to be careful here, because if they continue prodding and poking consumers, you’re just asking for government regulation,” he said. “And often no one wins when that happens.”
CNN’s Marnie Hunter and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
