Airlines say they're capping fares in the hurricane's path as Biden warns against price gouging

[October 09, 2024]  By DAVID KOENIG

A few airports in Florida began closing and airlines canceled hundreds of flights on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival. Government officials from President Joe Biden on down warned companies not to overcharge people fleeing the storm's path.

“I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations, and not to engage in price gouging — to just do it on the level," Biden said after a hurricane briefing.

Airlines defended their actions, some saying they had imposed fare caps in the last couple days.

By midafternoon Tuesday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled more than 700 U.S. flights, compared with fewer than 200 cancellations on Monday and fewer than 100 each of the two previous days, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

About half of Tuesday's cancellations were at Tampa International Airport, which shut down in the morning as Milton approached.

Travelers packed the airport on Monday, hoping to catch one of the remaining flights out of the storm's predicted path. Cerina McQuillan was trying to get her 17-year-old daughter on a flight to New York.

McQuillan said that when she first tried to buy a one-way ticket, prices were around $200. Then the airline's site crashed.

“All of a sudden it went back on again, and the flights quadrupled in price. It went up to like $750 within a matter of seconds,” she said. "There were prices even as high as $1,000 for one leg. So wrong! So wrong!”

Jeremy Bingaman, a music-industry podcaster, posted a screenshot of United Airlines fares for flights out of Tampa to St. Louis on Tuesday. They went as high as $2,351 for refundable tickets in economy class on United Express, compared with Southwest, which showed tickets at $399, and American, which displayed flights to Chicago for around $600.

“Hey (at)united, what’s up with the price gouging in Tampa for people trying to evacuate? ... shady,” he wrote in an X post that was reposted more than 4,000 times.

None of those flights he highlighted took off — they were all scheduled after the airport suspended operations.

United spokesperson Leslie Scott said the itinerary that Bingaman posted included two connections, and noted that the flight never happened.

“We implemented fare caps on Sunday. Since then, the average price paid for a one-way, economy-class ticket to our hubs from the impacted Florida markets was below $500,” Scott said.

Delta said it capped fares, although it gave no figures. American said it added 2,000 seats leaving from Orlando on Tuesday night after adding 2,000 in Tampa and Sarasota on Monday.

Large U.S. airlines “are working diligently to accommodate customers impacted by Hurricane Milton,” said Hannah Walden, a spokesperson for the trade group Airlines for America. She noted that several carriers are allowing consumers to rebook trips to, from or through the storm's path, “allowing passengers to adjust their travel plans if needed. The safety of our passengers and employees is our top priority.”

Southwest Airlines employees cover the ticket counters with plastic wrap just before Tampa International Airport was closing due to the possible arrival of Hurricane Milton Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Even when the weather is good, airlines often raise prices on tickets bought hours or a few days before departure, when there are fewer unsold seats left. That can blur the line between price gouging and the airlines' regular practice of maximizing revenue from each flight.

Biden did not give any examples of price gouging this week. A spokesperson for the U.S. Transportation Department said the agency has been in touch with airlines to get more information about the availability and affordability of flights in the storm's path.

Earlier, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a post on X, “The Department takes all allegations of airline price-gouging seriously. We are keeping a close eye on flights in and out of areas affected by Hurricane Milton to make sure airlines are not charging excessively increasing fares.”

William McGee, a travel expert and advocate for the American Economic Liberties Project, which opposes big corporations, said his group has seen the comments on social media about airlines — especially United, Delta and American — raising prices as the hurricane approached Florida.

“We’ve seen this with growing frequency in the deregulated era in response to natural disasters and terrorist attacks,” McGee said. "It’s important for consumers who are experiencing this to file complaints with the (Transportation Department) and perhaps share details on social media.”

U.S. flight cancellations were expected to soar past 1,600 on Wednesday, when Milton was forecast to come ashore along Florida's central Gulf coast. The bulk of those cancellations are in Florida.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it would close after the last flight Tuesday and reopen on Friday. Orlando International Airport planned to shut down Wednesday morning, and nearby Melbourne Orlando International Airport said it would stop flights Wednesday afternoon until Friday.

Travelers struggling to get out of Florida expressed exasperation and fatigue over high prices, canceled and delayed flights, and poor customer service.

John Fedor, a roofer from the Philadelphia suburbs, and his wife were trying to get home after a Caribbean cruise. They missed their flight out of Tampa. He said they got no help and were “treated so horribly” by a Frontier Airlines agent, then looked into other ways home. He was quoted $675 for a rental car. They saw train fares for $125 each, but by the time they tried to purchase a pair, the train was sold out.

“I still don’t know how we’re going to get home. We don’t know what day we’re getting home,” Fedor said. “This probably has been the worst vacation of my life.”

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Darlene Superville in Washington and Kate Payne in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

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