Business
Airlines are going premium. Prices are rising. Will cheap tickets be harder to find?
In the midst of holiday shopping and travel, Colorado resident Tom Pipes didn’t want to spend extra money on a plane ticket. He flew from Colorado to Los Angeles on Southwest, the grandfather of budget-friendly airlines.
“If there was a first-class option, I wouldn’t use it,” Pipes said this week after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. “I fly for the price.”
Unfortunately for Pipes and travelers like him, inexpensive tickets probably are going to become increasingly difficult to find.
Over the last year, the average cost of a domestic U.S. flight increased more than 4% to $269 in November, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show. It is a trend line that is expected to continue as budget airlines stumble due to rising costs and a crowded field of competitors, while the industry’s major carriers press ahead with strategies focused on pricier, premium ticket options.
“You can expect to see pricing across the board firm up and move higher,” said Tom Fitzgerald, an industry analyst at TD Securities. “If you’re really price sensitive, there may not be as many deals for you.”
A traveler speaks with a Spirit Airlines agent at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ahead of Memorial Day, on May 24, 2024, in Atlanta.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
American, Delta and United are the world’s three largest airlines and are projected to account for 97% of the industry’s operating profit in the U.S. this year, according to a Deutsche Bank report. In an attempt to catch up, low-cost carriers are rolling out more expensive options for seats that come with perks such as early boarding and extra legroom, leaving less room on the plane for the lowest priced tickets.
Spirit, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November, rolled out its version of first class this year. Frontier will offer a first-class option in late 2025 and JetBlue announced this month that the airline will add first-class seats to domestic flights by 2026.
“Budget airlines are trying to find ways to boost their revenue and they know that people are willing to pay more for a better product,” said Michael Linenberg, an airline equity researcher at Deutsche Bank. “The average price is going to be higher and we may see a net reduction in seats that are allocated to the lower-fare price buckets.”
As budget airlines try to recast themselves, major airlines are catering more to higher-paying travelers with premium ticketing options, which is reducing the proportion of seats in the cheapest category, industry analysts said. United, for example, offers five tiers of tickets ranging from basic economy to first-class, giving customers the option to pay more for a refundable ticket or a ticket that comes with free bags.
The price listed Thursday on United’s website for a basic economy ticket from Los Angeles to New York on Saturday, Jan. 4, was $347, which allows the traveler to carry on only one small item such as a purse. Of the nine flights from Los Angeles to New York that United operates that day, basic economy tickets were still available on only two.
For $50 more, a customer could select a seat and bring a carry-on bag, but they would have to shell out $55 more to get a fully refundable ticket. A premium economy seat on the same flight was priced at $724 and a first-class ticket cost $1,643.
Similarly, Delta offers main cabin tickets and “comfort plus” tickets, as well as an option above first class dubbed Delta One. While a first-class Delta ticket from Los Angeles to New York on Jan. 4 cost $1,059, a Delta One ticket was priced at $1,599 and comes with lie-flat seats. Spirit’s cheapest fare to New York from Los Angeles on Jan. 4 is $246, while its most expensive option is $416.
Sophy Chang, 32, recently flew Delta from New York to Los Angeles and chose the cheapest ticket option. Although her seat was toward the back of the plane, she said she was comfortable enough and grateful to be on a direct flight. She’s a regular Delta customer and said she typically has a good experience.
“I definitely wouldn’t mind extra legroom,” Chang said. “I care about it more on longer flights.”
A woman waits for her flight as an American Airlines jet passes by at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix in 2023.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Further widening the gap that has developed in the industry are conveniences and high-end perks offered by larger carriers that budget airlines can’t match. Low-cost carriers have fewer direct flights to fewer destinations and lack the luxurious airport lounges that other first-class travelers have access to.
Delta recently completed a renovation of its two terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, including the addition of a Delta One lounge with private check-in and fine dining options. By the end of the year, Delta plans to offer customers more than 700,000 square feet of lounge space across 56 Sky Clubs and three Delta One lounges.
“Demand for travel on Delta remains healthy with continued preference for our premium offerings,” said Delta President Glen Hauenstein during the company’s most recent earnings call. “Our new Delta One lounges in New York and L.A. with dedicated check-in and private TSA security truly differentiate Delta’s premium offering.”
So far this year, 57% of Delta’s revenue has been generated through sales other than main cabin tickets, Hauenstein said. The focus on higher-priced tickets reflects changes in consumer preferences, including a post-pandemic shift toward spending on experiences over tangible goods, experts said.
“Since COVID-19, there are more people not wanting a miserable travel experience who are willing to pay more for a more comfortable journey,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s been an arms race for the airlines to offer more of a premium product.”
No-frills airlines that lack these perks are built to have lower ticket prices than the major carriers, but rising operating costs have made that difficult to achieve. Budget airlines need to pay the same prices for airport space, jet fuel and labor as the big players do, said Mike Boyd of Boyd Group International, an aviation consulting firm.
“The pilot flying for Frontier, he or she wants the same money that the American Airlines pilot is getting because they’re flying the same airplanes,” Boyd said.
Budget airlines are also struggling in part because there are too many of them, including six publicly traded carriers such as Allegiant and Sun Country, Deutsche Bank’s Linenberg said. The companies will have to consolidate in order to survive, leaving fewer ticket options for customers.
“Many of them are losing money because they’re all competing with each other for that same price-sensitive customer,” Linenberg said. “Part of the industry is going to restructure, and at the end of the day, the consumer will be facing higher fares.”
According to a Deloitte holiday travel survey, 49% of Americans plan to travel between Thanksgiving and mid-January. That number jumps to 66% among those with household incomes of $100,000 or higher, and falls to 34% among those who make $50,000 or less. Twenty-nine percent of travelers this holiday season will upgrade their airfare this year compared with the type of ticket they purchased last year.
There will always be a market for low-fare tickets, but prices may never return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Fitzgerald at TD Securities.
“There were good days of bargains that people were used to over the 2010s,” he said. “I don’t think those are coming back anytime soon.”
The luxury shopping center in Pacific Palisades will reopen next month after more than $100 million in renovations forced by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Palisades Village will reopen Aug. 15, owner Rick Caruso announced Wednesday. The outdoor center survived the blaze that destroyed homes and other businesses but needed refurbishment to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread.
Crews are putting finishing touches on mall buildings after tearing them down to the studs, treating the wood and rebuilding the walls, Caruso said.
“Everybody’s working, and stores are moving their products in,” he said. “It’s a really cool feeling that people have really locked arms and are working together.”
An electrician installs lighting for a restaurant at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Palisades resident Allison Polhill, who is rebuilding the home of 30 years that her family lost in the blaze, said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of returning to the mall she used to frequent. Its comeback is a boost for the community, she said.
“Every single step that we make to reopen our commercial corridors is going to bring more people back into the Palisades,” said Polhill, who expects to move back into her home at the end of August.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction.
The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon, which may be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood when it opens.
Caruso’s company was able to fill the mall with tenants despite the long shutdown.
Palisades Village is 99% leased, with the majority of tenants returning, said Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer. Nearly one-third of the shops and restaurants are new to the property.
A firefighter carries a hose back to his rig while walking through a destroyed home from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street to the inferno.
Other neighborhood shops destroyed in the fire that are reopening at the mall include K Bakery and Loomey’s Toys, which caters to children up to age 12 and used to be across the street from Palisades Elementary Charter School.
“It’s been a journey and I’m excited because I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a place to come back to,” said toy store owner Amanda Rastegar. “Hopefully we can bring some of that magic back.”
Rastegar’s home in the Palisades survived but was damaged by the fire. The family returned about eight weeks ago. Her last memory of the fire was a burning supermarket.
“I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what was happening,” she said. “By the time I left, Gelson’s was on fire.”
Among the returning tenants is Angelini Ristorante & Bar. Well-known Los Angeles chef Gino Angelini said he will be in the kitchen next month for a return of the Italian restaurant.
“We won’t do a big celebrity open,” he said. “We want to have a very soft opening and see our customers come back.”
Construction takes place at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An elaborate celebration would not feel “correct for me,” Angelini said, because the devastation has been “very sad” for so many.
Other new tenants include local chef Nancy Silverton, who has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto. Women’s activewear retailer LESET will open its first West Coast location.
Caruso said he is optimistic that customers will return to the center, even though many Pacific Palisades residents are still dispersed. One tracking system estimated that about 30% of the Village’s customer base was impacted by the fire, he said.
“That means 70% did not get impacted, so there’s a lot of customers still left out there,” Caruso said. Historically, the center drew customers from as far away as Beverly Hills and Calabasas, as well as Malibu, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
He also hopes many will be inspired to visit the revived mall.
“I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that people are going to want to support the Palisades,” he said. “They’re going to want to be there and support the businesses that have had the courage and the heart to reopen.”
Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.
The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
The chargers also offer an incentive for customers to choose Walmart — Walmart Plus members will receive a 10% discount off an average price of $0.46 per kilowatt-hour of energy at the company’s chargers.
Walmart chargers are already available at more than 75 locations in 17 states, with Texas boasting the most charging stations, followed by Florida and Arizona.
Matthew Nelson, Walmart’s director of energy policy, said last week on LinkedIn that the network will soon reach 29 states, including California.
“We are delivering on the promise of affordable, reliable and convenient charging,” Nelson said in his post.
According to Walmart’s website, six charging stations are coming to California soon, though the company did not offer a specific timeline.
The chargers will be installed at stores in Antelope, Brea, Fresno, Stockton, Suisun City and Vallejo.
Most charging sites in California will include eight to 16 fast-charging stalls, said Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl.
The company first announced plans in April 2023 to install its own EV chargers at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, with a goal of installing thousands of chargers by 2030. Partnering with ABB E-Mobility and Alpitronic, it added 25 new charging sites this past May and six more in June.
“Walmart is building a leading retail-integrated EV fast-charging network, focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and convenient charging experience where customers already shop,” Bohl said in an emailed statement. “Customers can charge while they shop, access stations through the Walmart app they already use, and benefit from affordable pricing.”
The charging stations already available include 612 individual charging stalls using 400-kilowatt chargers. Each stall has a dual charging cord with both Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors. The standard connectors, designed by Tesla, are smaller and lighter than the combined systems.
The primary way to pay for the chargers is through the Walmart app, but the company is also experimenting with built-in credit card readers to allow those without the app to use the stations.
Customers can check charger availability on the Walmart app. The company said the chargers will be available 24 hours a day.
Robotaxis could be turning into robocops.
A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, Calif., police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.
According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were riding in contacted the department and stopped in a parking lot until law enforcement arrived.
“Parents do you know where your teens are?” the San Mateo Police Department wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Waymo does!”
Officers removed both teens from the vehicle and determined they were using toy guns to shoot Orbeez out the windows. Orbeez are small, water-absorbing beads sold at toy stores.
“Toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” the Police Department said. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in [passersby].” “
A video posted on Facebook shows at least five officers and a police dog responding to the scene and approaching the Waymo with their weapons raised.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waymo vehicles have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” according to Waymo’s online support page.
The cameras are also used to ensure the vehicles are clean and to help find lost items, according to the support page.
The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals.
“In more urgent circumstances, support may access live video during a trip,” the Waymo page said.
The San Mateo Police Department’s Facebook post has garnered nearly 60 comments, with one user accusing Waymo of “snitching.”
“At least they got a designated driver?!” one user commented.
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