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?
