BY Jason Abbruzzese AND Jessica Plautz, Mashable.com, July 20, 2015 – Airplanes are crowded, security lines are long, and airplane seats are cramped — and we’re paying more for it.
Despite falling oil prices and the ability to compare prices across airlines with just a few clicks, the average U.S. plane ticket cost almost $400 in 2014.
If you think that seems a little steep, so does the U.S. government. On July 1, news broke that the Justice Department had launched an investigation into possible price-fixing in the airline industry. The DOJ is reportedly looking into whether airlines were informing each other of how many flights they were planning, a statistic known as “capacity” that has a strong effect on prices.
SEE ALSO: The U.S. is investigating airlines for ‘unlawful coordination’ to keep airfare prices high
Meanwhile, airline profits are up despite consistently criticized customer service.
Why the heck aren’t airlines lowering prices?
Originally published by Mashable.com on July 19, 2015
