American & United Airlines Continue Price Hikes For Solo Travelers, Report Finds

Published Oct 30, 2026, 5:42 AM EDT A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. Research by Thrifty Traveler has found that American Airlines and United Airlines are continuing to charge solo flyers more for their tickets on certain flights than those traveling in groups of two or more. While the trend is not ubiquitous, it is widespread enough to raise alarm bells, particularly when, according to Thrifty Traveler's research, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines do not do so. Such pricing strategies are more common on cruises or in hotels, where a solo passenger would likely be occupying the same real estate as a couple. On an aircraft where each passenger gets a seat to themselves regardless of whether they are flying alone or in a group, the trend seems more problematic, particularly given that American Airlines and United have both rolled out initiatives to help solo flyers. Solo Flyers Have To Pay More On A Third Of American Airlines' Flights Credit: Just Dance | Shutterstock Thrifty Traveler's methodology was simple: check 1,000 flights each on randomly selected routes at the five largest US airlines over the next 11 months. When all was said and done, it found that 33.5% of American Airlines' flights saw solo flyers penalized with higher fares: the average hike was more than $90. The report cites one particularly alarming example involving a flight from Miami to Charlotte. When Thrifty Traveler examined this route on December 15, it found that a solo flyer stood to pay $496 for a Main Cabin ticket. However, upon adding another flyer to the booking, the Main Cabin fare dropped to just $155, with a Basic Economy $100 fare also available. According to View From The Wing, the logic is that solo flyers are more likely to be business travelers, but this isn't always the case. Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines and United Airlines for futher information on this matter. We will update our coverage upon receiving a statement. Less Prevalent At United Airlines, But Still An Issue Credit: Jacek1708 | Shutterstock Thrifty Traveler first published research on this topic in the spring of 2025, with the uproar at the time being enough to convince carriers to reverse their course. However, as reported at the time by Simple Flying, by July of last year, United Airlines had returned to charging more for solo flyers, with reported hikes of up to 70%. Now, more than a year later, the Star Alliance founding member continues this practice. According to the latest report, such pricing is not as widespread at United Airlines, with Thrifty Traveler finding these hikes on 10.6% of the carrier's flights that it examined as part of its research. The resulting fare increase came to an average of $64. With that being said, some hikes were more extreme, with Thrifty Traveler highlighting a $105 difference on a February flight from Newark Liberty to Santa Ana. In any case, the alarming overall picture is that, compared to the findings of Thrifty Traveler's initial report back in the spring of 2025, fare hikes for solo flyers have gone from a rare and random phenomenon to something that is more widespread. With airfares for all flyers having gone up this year amid rising fuel prices, this additional penalty is certainly an unwelcome surprise for those of us who fly solo. Both Carriers Have Previously Highlighted Initiatives To Help Solo Flyers Credit: Jillian Cain Photography | Shutterstock What is particularly interesting about American Airlines and United Airlines being highlighted as the worst offenders when it comes to penalizing solo flyers is that both carriers have previously rolled out initiatives to make solo travel easier. For instance, in 2025, United said that " app features like wayfinding, agent on demand, and seat preference settings help solo flyers take to the skies with confidence." More recently, Leisure Bites reported earlier this month that American Airlines had also rolled out a new app feature to aid solo flyers. The tool in question allowed such passengers to flag their seating preferences, giving them a better shot at avoiding the middle seat at check-in. While a small change, this can make a big difference on long flights, although perhaps not enough to offset the need to pay more.