‘How is their plane ticket 200% more?’: Man catches American Airlines charging more for the same flight

28.08.2024 03:00

The Daily Dot

A man is shocked to realize that the cost of his bandmates’ American Airlines flight ticket is 200 percent more than the cost of his own for the same flight.

In a TikTok with almost 62,000 views, Ryan Fox, a content creator and the drummer in the band Dexter and The Moonrocks (@the_moonrocks), shares his confusion over the price discrepancy.

"OK, I need someone who understands how airlines work to explain this to me, please. I’m sitting here on a website buying plane tickets so our band can fly to Nashville to meet with our label and stuff, right?” Fox begins.

He explains that his flight has a layover. “I am flying from San Antonio to DFW [Dallas Fort Worth International Airport] to Nashville. Three stops, round trip. My cost is $260,” Fox says, showing the webpage that details his American Airlines round trip, non-refundable flight for $260 in Basic Economy.

“The band, the rest of the guys, are just flying from DFW to Nashville. Mind you, we are on the same flight from DFW to Nashville. Theirs is $787.” Fox shows the webpage again, and his bandmates’ flight is listed for $787, round trip and non-refundable, but for Main Cabin.

“How is their plane ticket 200 percent more? It’s the same flight. Like, that feels illegal. What is the difference? I don’t understand,” Fox questions as the video ends.

Viewers Weigh In

In the comments section, viewers shared their opinions on the cause of the huge price difference for the flights.

“Maybe they base it on demand? Like there might be a bunch of people who fly from DFW to BNA all the time?” one viewer wrote, with another responding, “surge pricing will destroy the world.”

@the_moonrocks Make this make sense fr fr #airlines #traveling #musician #dexterandthemoonrocks ♬ original sound - Dexter & The Moonrocks

“I’ve been eyeing a one way flight out of Phoenix to New Orleans (direct) and it’s sitting at about $666 right now. I paid less for round trip flights to London,” another viewer shared.

“Fare classes. If you’re booking 3 seats at once you need 3 seats of the same fare class which may not be available anymore at the lowest fare class. Also your point of origin could be competitive,” a third user explained.

“You’re in basic economy. They’re in main cabin. They’re also on a direct flight. You have a layover,” a fourth person put it simply.

Why are airplane tickets so expensive right now?

While inflation has been rocking the country for the last couple of years, with rates famously hitting 8 percent, as reported by the Consumer Price Index, airline tickets are experiencing even higher rates of pricing increases.

CNBC Select reports that in the last year, the consumer price index for airline tickets has shot up by 25 percent, which is the largest jump since the Federal Reserve of St. Louis began tracking the index in 1989. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airfares spiked 18.6 percent in April of this year alone.

The reasons for the higher airfare prices are varied, including higher fuel prices, which have increased nearly 150 percent in the last year; airlines experiencing low numbers of pilots and flight attendants to run their flights; and higher labor costs. Domestic travel is particularly popular right now, while international travel is down 20-40 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, adding to the surge in domestic ticket prices compared to international ones.

The Daily Dot Has reached out to Fox via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to American Airlines via email for more information.

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