American Airlines quoted $496 for a single passenger traveling from Miami to Charlotte in economy, but just $155 per person when booking two passengers on the same flight. Two tickets totaled $310, making them $186 cheaper than one.
Thrifty Traveler examined 5,000 nonstop domestic one-way flights across five carriers to investigate higher fares for solo travelers. The team sampled 1,000 flights each on American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. American charged solo passengers more on 33.5% of sampled flights. United applied higher solo fares on 10.6% of flights. Delta, Alaska, and Southwest showed no such pricing in the sample.
Thrifty Traveler traced the pricing to fare rules requiring a traveling companion to qualify for certain cheaper tickets. When searching for one passenger, those fares disappear from results. American and United both declined to comment on the practice.
The publication notes that airlines have distinguished between customers for decades through advance-purchase requirements, minimum stays, and change restrictions. Requiring another passenger represents a particularly suspect way to accomplish this distinction. Solo travelers visiting family, taking vacations, or meeting spouses already at their destination need only one seat. The article advises travelers shopping for solo trips to check prices for two passengers and compare the per-person rate before booking for one.