Who knew flying by yourself could actually cost more?
Flying Solo Just Got More Expensive—Here’s How to Avoid Paying Extra
Published on Jun. 03, 2025
Traveling has never been cheap, but traveling on your own has always been much more affordable than traveling with your whole family. After all, airfare for one is naturally much cheaper than airfare for two or more, right? Not necessarily. Believe it or not, some airlines are making it cheaper for you to fly with one or more companions than to fly by yourself. And they have a pretty sneaky way of doing it. If you’re not careful, you might end up overpaying for your next airline ticket.
Read on to find out which airlines are charging individual travelers more and how you can avoid paying extra on your next solo adventure.
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Which airlines are charging more?
You might be surprised to learn that three of the biggest airlines in the country are upping the ticket price for solo travelers. Yup, that’s right: American, Delta and United are all charging a higher price for the same ticket when you book an individual ticket instead of two or more tickets in one reservation. While you won’t experience this on every single route, it’s definitely happening on many routes, usually one-way domestic tickets.
Even more shocking is the fact that on United, some solo travelers aren’t even offered the option to select a basic economy fare. When you search for two or more passengers, the option for basic economy suddenly becomes available!
How is this even possible? Well, it’s actually really simple. When you carefully read the fine print beneath each fare, you’ll see that the airlines create different fare buckets depending on how many passengers are on each reservation.
Why are solo travelers charged more for flights?
Though it may be surprising at first that solo travelers are charged more for flights, the more you consider the types of travelers who fly by themselves, the more it makes sense. Think about it: Business travelers usually fly on their own and almost always pay for their ticket with a corporate card. Families, on the other hand, pay for their flights with their personal funds, so airlines offer them a better deal. While none of the airlines guilty of upcharging solo travelers officially confirmed that this is the reason, they also haven’t denied it either. For now, this is our best guess!
How can solo travelers avoid paying more for flights?
Even if you’re flying alone, there are still plenty of strategies that can help you avoid overpaying for flights. Try some of these tried-and-true tips before booking your next reservation:
Have flexible routing
Solo travelers are only charged a higher price than groups on certain routes, so if your routing is flexible, you may be able to avoid steeper airfare. For example, if you’re flying in or out of New York City, price out the difference between JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports. One or two might be substantially cheaper than the others.
Know when to book your flight
The prices of airline tickets fluctuate constantly, so knowing the best time to book a flight can help you save quite a bit of cash. For domestic flights, try to book your ticket one to three months in advance. For international flights, aim to purchase airfare between two to eight months out.
Use a flight price tracker
Flight price trackers are great tools for helping you lock in the best possible price. Consider different options, like Skyscanner, Google Flights and Hopper. You can even use multiple flight price trackers to make sure you never miss a good deal.
Choose unpopular travel days
Some days are much busier than others when it comes to air travel, so if you can time your flights with some of the least popular travel days, you’re likely to save. Generally, any time in late August is great for summer travel if you’re looking to avoid crowds and lock in the best possible price.
Search in incognito mode
Sometimes, searching for flights in a private internet browser window can yield the best results. Without access to your history, airlines may offer you a lower price. You can also try using different browsers in incognito mode to see if one is better than the other.
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Source:
- Thrifty Traveler: “Exclusive: US Airlines Are Quietly Hitting Solo & Biz Travelers with Higher Fares”
