Higher airfares for solo travelers??

That’s very interesting, Jules. I’ve gotten pretty good prices as a solo traveler with Delta, but that’s definitely something I will be checking in the future to make sure I’m getting the same price as others.

I saw the article about Delta yesterday. Supremely irritating.

Whatever will they come up with next??!

I have had the same problem in the past when I booked for 2 or more people and the airfare would go up, but I never considered that the price for a single ticket may be more than for multiple tickets. Thank you for bringing this up so we can be more aware.

I have definitely seen the price go up when I'm buying two tickets instead of one - this is usually on Delta, since I fly them most. I'll have to keep an eye out for this newer issue as well. Ugh.

Well for Pete's sake! I've never noticed since I am always buying for 1 but that is very annoying.

I wonder if it's to catch the solo business traveler?

Delta is and has always been my carrier of choice but this is exasperating.

Without a doubt I did notice my flight (solo) to Paris booked on United was far more expensive in restricted Basic Economy than what I was used to and had expected, regardless of its short notice.

I saw this while I was stuck at an airport yesterday. Because I was bored I searched about 20 destinations from ATL the home of Delta. I searched places like Florida, London, NYC, Boston, Paris etc..

In no case did the pricing work that way. In some cases the pricing was higher on a per seat basis with more than 1 passenger which I assume was due to fare class sell outs, but it was never lower per person if I selected two over 1

It's not just Delta, UA and AA have done similar. Called an "Accompanied Travel" fare. Some brief further discussion at the link below.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/2195683-delta-apparently-charging-more-solo-tickets-some-routes-built-into-fare-rules.html

I don't think this is true. I just tested a bunch of flights on Goggle flights and found no instances where a single was higher than a half of two booked. It is possible if the flight is almost sold out I suppose, but I think this is rare.

I'm not buying this theory.

My guess, someone starts a booking for 2 passengers and pulls the last 2 cheapo seats in that bucket and doesn't complete the booking.

The Airlines' computer system doesn't immediately return the 2 cheapo fares back to be allocated.

In the meanwhile, someone tried to purchase same flight but the fare is now higher because those 2 cheapo fares are sitting in temporary limbo.

OK, well, it is showing up in multiple forums, Flyer Talk, Thrifty Traveler. We also know someone that is an IT person for Delta. The algorithms are quite intricate.

and now:

https://viewfromthewing.com/delta-quietly-adds-solo-flyer-surcharge-pay-70-more-unless-you-bring-a-companion-on-select-routes/

" Delta has begun charging solo passengers more per ticket than travelers booking for two (or more) on select flights.

For example, Delta is charging at least $199 for one passenger on this one-way flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Miami (MIA) in early September. But search for two passengers instead, and the price drops significantly: Just $118 per ticket.

[W]hile it’s not widespread, this discount for two-plus travelers – or pricing penalty for those flying solo – doesn’t appear to be a glitch. Delta indicates it’s by design in its arcane fare rules, where airlines carve out requirements and exceptions in order to sell tickets at a certain price. "

And all these links are referencing Thrifty Traveler.

The reason they are referencing Thrifty Traveler is because TT evidently was the first to report this, as seen in the quote below. And that doesn't make it untrue.

This quirk in the airline’s pricing was first reported by Thrifty Traveler.

I so hope this is not true. Solo travelers are discriminated against as it is when it comes to tours and having to usually pay a supplement. It would be so unfair if it is true. One passenger doesn't cost the airline anything extra. Before I retired I traveled for business quite often on a solo ticket and the airlines seemed to want my business.

Oh, it's definitely real. If you go to the Flyertalk thread and look at Post #2, you'll see how Delta codes these "Accompanied Travel" fares into their fare basis. It's not every route, or even a lot of routes, so just randomly searching flights is unlikely to hit one of these. And, the Post referenced above doesn't rely on information from Thrifty Traveler at all.

So, is the claim that they discount couples or charge a single more? And if nobody knew it was happening, what was the purpose?

EDIT:

... as the fare rules for the cheaper tickets say it must have at
least one additional adult traveling.

Its a quantity discount. Okay, I'm good with that.

And the One Mile At a Time article https://onemileatatime.com/news/delta-different-pricing-solo-travelers-vs-couples/

“Accompanied Travel,” which mentions that to quality for the cheaper fare, you “must be accompanied on all sectors in same compartment by at least 1 adult.”

Currently this price difference seems to only apply in a very limited number of domestic markets, and for one-way travel.

As noted it's amounts to a bulk purchase discount. Absolutely common across so many industries. I'm just not feeling the discrimination.

It’s definitely a thing—-Travel & Leisure magazine just came out with an article on this topic.

UPDATE:
Per Thrifty Traveler, May 30, 2025, Delta and United have backtracked on the higher fares for solo travelers:

https://thriftytraveler.com/news/airlines/delta-rethinks-higher-fares-solo-travelers/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKnOjFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFPdlBKb3l3eHpLMElKZGRUAR582sC-3_A3nDg4A8-xLDrL3s-ne5u50YuRIVWs32gQERAY5Bec_WadggVESA_aem_Njlnmok46puAK2nbWUg4EA

Thanks for the update, Jules! Good to know. Evidently it was tailored for business travelers, who probably wouldn't complain too much, but it targets other solo travelers, too.

Jules, thanks for the updated information!

Remember Delta flyers...they usually update their system on Saturdays. Check your reservations tomorrow and see if any of your trips are cheaper and then ask for a refund/voucher.

Well this made the national news. I was watching CBS Morning and they had a piece on it. They named the big 3 Delta, United & American.

Delta has announced they rolled this back. Not sure of the others (living in ATL you get Delta focused news!) They also indicated that it was originally limited and in test. (I saw one guy on reddit planning a class action lawsuit even though he has no idea if he was impacted... LOL!)

Carol, yes, see update upthread.

It’s definitely a thing—-Travel & Leisure magazine just came out with an article on this topic.

Well, now I know that Travel & Leisure is not a reliable source of information, or at least they don't fact check their stuff before publishing. Gone the road of click bait

Lynn, not following your comment. The higher airfares for singles that was occurring on some routes/tickets was widely reported by many news sources. A few days after the news reports, Delta (and one more airline) backtracked. I would argue that had the higher fares not been widely reported, the airlines may have not gone back to equitable fares. First to break the original news was Thrifty Traveler, not T & L, if you read the articles, examples from web searches were used as an illustration, completely fact checked.

There was a post that stated that Travel & Leisure posted this as being a thing on 5/30 after it had already been reversed. I'm getting weary of journalists just grabbing things and reposting without doing their own homework. And USA today just posted the same thing dated 6/3.

Well, the only time I look at USA Today is when I travel and want to see the weather.

Personally, I can forgive T & L, when their article came out on the 30th, the same day Delta announced the switch back, not sure which came first.

I don't understand the rationale for this, except as a way for the airlines to make more money. Unlike hotels, where one person may be occupying a room that could accommodate two, one person shouldn't be occupying two seats on the plane.

And United is back at it. (American never stopped)

https://thriftytraveler.com/news/airlines/united-adds-fare-penalty-solo/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKuz2ZleHRuA2FlbQExAAEeQixjsLl74sYb7aBJYbr7jV4ntEfKDd1izaGopu5dcbP6hNgwNL40dNlDTR0_aem_alurJecM1SXg38Tu13gJZA

Not sure I believe this article. I just replicated the same flights as in the link and there is no difference in price on the United website. Also, I do realize people sometimes fly one way, but not too often because it is usually more expensive, so I am not sure why this writer uses one way tests.

Still say it is click bait for Thrifty Traveler.

Threadware, no, its clickbait for another group. If Delta charges more than the going rate for your single one way ticket, then you buy from the other airline. If they dont charge more than the competition then maybe someone buying more than one ticket is getting a discount. Be happy for them, then deal with it and enjoy life.