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TravelSolo fliers are getting hit with higher fares — here’s how airlines are getting away with itBy Fabiana BuontempoPublishedMay 29, 2025, 7:01 p.m. ET

In a time when businesses want to tack on hidden fees for almost anything — it shouldn’t come as a surprise that airlines are suddenly being greedy with how they’re charging solo flyers.

Reportedly, Delta is one of a few airlines that are now charging extra for single flight tickets.

According to View From The Wing, technically some of the airlines disclose in their fare fules that if a customer purchases an individual ticket — even if it’s one of their cheapest fare

options — that they’ll be charged more unless they have someone accompanying them on the flight.

tickets. miglagoa – stock.adobe.com

The team at Thrifty Traveler did some digging and pointed out that this price hike for solo tickets isn’t for every airlines’ flight route and it’s unclear how long this increased fare will

go on for.

And it seems that Delta isn’t the only airline being greedy. United and American airlines are supposedly also taking this approach with price gouging.

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Thrifty Traveler found that a single one-way standard economy United ticket traveling from Chicago-O’Hare to Peoria costs $269.

But if you tack on a few more people to the reservation, that almost $300 ticket fare drops to less than $200 per person.

tactics. Getty Images

United isn’t trying to be sneaky about it either — it’s written in the fare fules for this ticket: “Must be accompanied on all sectors in same compartment by at least 1 adult 15 or older.”

It’s easy for solo passengers to not even realize this price difference — so their best bet, if they’re able to, is to shop around different airlines to get the best bang for their

buck.

The good news is that overall, flight prices for summer travel are down 7% year-over-year, according to Eric Rosen, the director of travel content at