A man is shocked to discover that his bandmate’s American Airlines ticket is 200 percent more expensive than his own ticket for the same flight.
In a TikTok with nearly 62,000 views, Ryan Fox, content creator and drummer for the band Dexter and The Moonrocks (@the_moonrocks), shares his confusion about the price discrepancy.
“OK, I need someone who knows 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’m flying from San Antonio to DFW (Dallas Fort Worth International Airport) to Nashville. Three layovers, round trip. My cost is $260,” Fox says, pointing to the website that lists his round trip flight on American Airlines for $260 in basic economy. The flight is non-refundable.
“The band and the rest of the guys are flying from DFW to Nashville right now. Mind you, we’re on the same flight from DFW to Nashville. Their flight is $787.” Fox shows the website again and his bandmates’ flight is $787, round-trip and non-refundable, but for the Main Cabin.
“Why is her plane ticket 200 percent more expensive? It’s the same flight. This feels illegal. What’s the difference? I don’t understand,” Fox asks at the end of the video.
The opinion of the audience
In the comments section, viewers shared their opinions on the reasons for the huge price differences in flights.
“Maybe they’re looking at demand? For example, there might be a lot of people flying from DFW to BNA all the time?” wrote one viewer, and another responded, “The price spikes are going to destroy the world.”
@the_moonrocks Let this make sense fr fr #airlines #traveling #musician #dexterandthemoonrocks ♬ Original sound – Dexter & The Moonrocks
“I’m looking at a one-way flight from Phoenix to New Orleans (direct) and it’s currently around $666. I’ve paid less for round-trip flights to London,” another viewer shared.
“Fare classes. If you book 3 seats at once, you will need 3 seats in the same fare class, which may no longer be available in the lowest fare class. Also, your departure location might be competitive,” explained a third user.
“You’re in economy class. You’re in the main cabin. You also have a direct flight. You have a layover,” a fourth person put it simply.
Why are airline tickets so expensive at the moment?
While inflation has been shaking the country for several years and is known to have reached eight percent according to the consumer price index, airline ticket prices are rising even more.
CNBC Select reports that the consumer price index for airline tickets rose 25 percent last year, This is the largest increase since the St. Louis Federal Reserve began tracking the index in 1989. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airfares rose 18.6 percent in April of this year alone.
The reasons for higher airfares are varied. They include higher fuel prices, which have risen by nearly 150 percent in the last year; airlines not having enough pilots and flight attendants to man their flights; and higher labor costs. Domestic travel is particularly popular right now, while international travel is down 20 to 40 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, further amplifying the increase in domestic ticket prices compared to international tickets.
The Daily Dot reached out to Fox via direct message on Instagram and TikTok, as well as via email from American Airlines, for more information.
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