Latest news with #ThriftyTraveler
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
UK travellers issued warning over hidden tax on flights that could mean you pay MORE
Tourists heading on an adventure across the Pond this summer are being warned over a hidden flight tax that can leave those travelling solo out of pocket. Research by Thrifty Traveler Premium 's flight deal analysts found that at least three major US airlines - American, Delta and United - were found to charge more for single flights than they did for two or more seats. The website claims that, on certain one-way US domestic flights, tourists will face higher premiums if they are buying one ticket as opposed to two or more. Thrifty Traveler Premium also found that single travellers were not always shown the lowest price brackets, with 'basic economy' - usually travelling with just one handbag or rucksack - only appearing if two or more flight tickets were being booked. The small print beneath flights being sold will often specify that different fares depend on how many tickets are being booked per reservation. The website found, for example, one person flying from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to the nearby US airport of Peoria (PIA) in June costs $269 (£198) for a one-way ticket. However, if you're flying in a pair or more, then the price is much more competitive, down to $181 (£133) per person - a saving of £65. Travel expert Sanjib Adhikari, Executive Director of the Everest trekking company Heaven Himalaya, told MailOnline that he has seen this firsthand in his clients' bookings. 'Our clients have increasingly been seeing an increase in airline fares on the American domestic legs of their flights and didn't even know until comparing notes with other people on our treks who had also traveled there solo,' he said. So what's happening exactly? According to Adhikari, it's all about market segmentation. 'The airlines are trying to segment out business travelers, who often fly alone and aren't cost-sensitive, versus vacationers, who are more cost-sensitive and are likelier to fly in groups or pairs,' he explained. In other words, airlines are betting that solo travelers - especially those using a corporate card - aren't as worried about price, so they can charge more. And it's not just limited to airlines. Increasing to two or more passengers slashes the price by one-third One passenger flying United from its Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) airport to Peoria (PIA) in June results in a $269 one-way fare 'Unfortunately, the singles tax isn't unique to airlines, as solo travelers frequently pay more for cruises, accommodations, and holiday packages,' Adhikari adds. It seems that this 'singles tax' spills into every area of your life, especially if you live alone. Think about all of the money you pay when grocery shopping (rather than buying food in bulk) and especially for housing. And while a lot of this is systemic, there are some things you can do to avoid this singles tax, at least while flying. If you're a solo traveler who's over paying more just because you didn't come with a plus-one, Adhikari has a tip. 'I recommend solo travelers start doing price searches for group bookings to see if they can reduce their price. 'It's also a good idea to read the fare rules. 'It's a lot of fine print, but you can use an AI to summarize it for you so you at least have an idea of whether the fare has a singles tax or not.'
USA Today
03-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Some solo travelers are being charged higher airfares. What you need to know.
Some solo travelers are being charged higher airfares. What you need to know. Show Caption Hide Caption Do airlines show the same airfare rates to everyone? Can airlines really track your flight search history to increase rates shown to you? Some airlines are charging solo travelers higher fares, according to a recent report. This practice is not widespread and airlines have not commented on it. It is difficult to determine if you are being overcharged, but price prediction tools may help. Airlines may be charging solo travelers more. Thrifty Traveler, a well-known travel and flight deal website, exclusively reported last week that major airlines were charging more for passengers booking a single ticket. 'We stumbled upon a new pricing strategy that was not very widespread but no less troubling at the nation's three largest airlines," Kyle Potter, executive Editor of Thrifty Traveler, told USA TODAY. 'This is what they do with all of their fares, they roll things out on a limited basis and slowly expand until it becomes ubiquitous.' Potter said he wasn't able to get any airlines to go on the record about the specifics behind their pricing policies, and that after his report published, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines eliminated solo pricing rules in their fare classes, leaving American Airlines as the only carrier that still seems to be profiting from the fare differential on some routes. USA TODAY reached out to the airlines for comment. Still, the report left many passengers wondering what was going on, so here's what you need to know. Are airlines charging single travelers more? Yes, at least sometimes. Thrifty Traveler was able to find multiple examples of airlines charging higher fares for single passengers, though it wasn't being applied evenly across airlines' networks. "Based on our hundreds of searches, we were only seeing it on select domestic one-way flights," Potter said. How common is it for airlines to charge extra for solo travelers? It's not very common. 'In terms of the hit rate, it was probably in the neighborhood of five to 10 out of 100 domestic one-way searches without any real pattern for which routes they were deploying this on that we could see," Potter said USA TODAY reached out to multiple travel agents, none of whom had seen this pricing tactic before. "Nope," Loulu Lima, founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here, responded to an email asking if she was familiar with this pricing strategy. "I buy solo tickets all the time." Still, airline pricing is famously opaque. There's no set schedule for how and when carriers adjust airfares, and the companies have wide latitude to set prices however they decide is best. Airlines also often try to separate business travelers from leisure travelers, because business travelers are typically less price sensitive. One of the most well-known ways airlines read the travel purpose tea leaves is a weekend stay. Business travel typically happens during the week, so an airline itinerary that spans a Saturday night is usually a good indicator that the travel is for pleasure. Airlines often offer cheaper fare buckets for trips that include a weekend between the departure and return leg. Thrifty Traveler theorized that airlines may be trying to use solo passengers as another possible indicator of business travel. 'To many travelers, this was a real wake-up call in order to realize how far airlines are willing to go to maximize revenue," Potter said. How to know if you're being charged more Unfortunately, it can be hard to know if you're getting a good deal, or to compare airline prices, because of the variability in airfares. Thrifty Traveler only discovered the solo passenger discrepancy by searching hundreds of airline itineraries. For travelers, the best bet is to rely on price prediction tools like those available on Google Flights, Expedia, Hopper and other platforms. 'You know what you're willing to spend. If you see a price point and say, 'Hey, that's not bad,' you should buy it,' Lima, the travel agent, previously told USA TODAY. 'How much of a betting person are you that it's going to be lower than what you're currently seeing and you're comfortable with that number?' And even then, your frequent flyer mileage may vary. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
Int'l Business Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Solo Travelers Charged 'Significantly' More by Top Airlines Than Pair or Group Flyers: Report
A new report reveals that the nation's three largest airlines—Delta, United, and American—have been quietly charging solo travelers more than passengers who book in pairs or groups. While it wasn't found to be widespread across all routes, a Thrifty Traveler report discovered that on select one-way domestic flights, solo travelers are routinely paying significantly more—sometimes $80 or more—than if they had booked with another passenger. In several examples, prices for individual tickets dropped sharply when travelers searched for two or more seats, even on the same flight. United, for instance, charged $269 for a one-way ticket from Chicago to Peoria for one traveler, but just $181 per person when booking for two. Similar fare discrepancies were found on Delta and American flights. In many cases, booking with a second passenger also unlocked cheaper fare classes that were otherwise unavailable to solo travelers. Airfare experts say this is not a glitch but a deliberate pricing tactic rooted in "fare class segmentation." Airlines open specific buckets of discounted fares based on the number of seats requested. And in this case, it appears solo flyers are being steered into more expensive fare classes—likely because they're assumed to be less price-sensitive, such as business travelers expensing tickets to a company. Analysts suggest this may be a test run or limited rollout of a new pricing approach targeting perceived business travelers. It remains unclear how long it has been going on. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Airlines Are Reportedly Charging Solo Travelers More for Plane Tickets—Here's What You Need to Know
A new industry report indicates that U.S. airlines may be charging more for individually booked tickets. In one example, a solo ticket was priced at $422 per person, but dropped to $266 per person when the same route was booked for two people. In order to save on your next flight, experts recommend clearing your browser history and setting up price alerts on your desired traveling alone can be enticing and relaxing, new data reveals it might also be more expensive. U.S. airlines are allegedly charging single passengers higher fares than couples or families, according to a new report from the booking site Thrifty Traveler. The travel data team recently compared the price of a single-ticket purchase versus that of two or more tickets. In multiple instances, the single-ticket purchase was more expensive per one example, the report showed how a United Airlines flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA) cost $269 for a one-way ticket for a person traveling alone. But when the same route was booked for two people, the price dropped to $181 per person. The team also noted that a single fare on an American Airlines flight that was priced at $422 dropped to $266 per person when multiple tickets were booked. 'It's just another way for airlines to continue 'segmenting' their customers, charging business travelers paying with a corporate card more while offering a better deal to families on the exact same flight," Thrifty Traveler executive editor Kyle Potter said in the report also notes that the phenomenon doesn't appear to be a widespread occurrence, and may be a limited-time test, or may only appear on select routes. After the report was released, dozens of flyers and aviation enthusiasts confirmed the findings independently. Jeff Rossen, a consumer correspondent and the host of the Rossen Reports, shared his experience of seeing higher fares for single tickets on social media.'I picked a random round-trip flight, and the first one I picked, boom … a giant $240.93 price difference,' Rossen told Travel + Leisure. 'Same flights. Same cabin.'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.' At the time of publication, neither American Airlines nor United Airlines provided a comment to T+L. In the meantime, if you're traveling alone, experts recommend setting up price alerts to save some cash. Alternatively, you could consider flying into other nearby (often smaller) airfields that may be less expensive. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-solo-traveler-SOLOCOSTSMORE0525-493fd3dfbc19457b8c18046b2dec8477.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
30-05-2025
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
U.S. Airlines Are Reportedly Charging Solo Travelers More for Plane Tickets—Here's What You Need to Know
While traveling alone can be enticing and relaxing, new data reveals it might also be more expensive. U.S. airlines are allegedly charging single passengers higher fares than couples or families, according to a new report from the booking site Thrifty Traveler. The travel data team recently compared the price of a single-ticket purchase versus that of two or more tickets. In multiple instances, the single-ticket purchase was more expensive per passenger. In one example, the report showed how a United Airlines flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA) cost $269 for a one-way ticket for a person traveling alone. But when the same route was booked for two people, the price dropped to $181 per person. The team also noted that a single fare on an American Airlines flight that was priced at $422 dropped to $266 per person when multiple tickets were booked. 'It's just another way for airlines to continue 'segmenting' their customers, charging business travelers paying with a corporate card more while offering a better deal to families on the exact same flight," Thrifty Traveler executive editor Kyle Potter said in the article. The report also notes that the phenomenon doesn't appear to be a widespread occurrence, and may be a limited-time test, or may only appear on select routes. After the report was released, dozens of flyers and aviation enthusiasts confirmed the findings independently. Jeff Rossen, a consumer correspondent and the host of the Rossen Reports, shared his experience of seeing higher fares for single tickets on social media. 'I picked a random round-trip flight, and the first one I picked, boom … a giant $240.93 price difference,' Rossen told Travel + Leisure . 'Same flights. Same cabin.' 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.' At the time of publication, neither American Airlines nor United Airlines provided a comment to T+L. In the meantime, if you're traveling alone, experts recommend setting up price alerts to save some cash. Alternatively, you could consider flying into other nearby (often smaller) airfields that may be less expensive.
