Hurricane Helene has scarcely departed from the country, and the United States is bracing for another storm. Numerous individuals are seeking an evacuation route as Hurricane Milton approaches the state of Florida. Even though President Joe Biden has asked airlines not to engage in price gouging, some social media users are convinced otherwise.
Ticket prices for flights tend to fluctuate. Raising demand and the number of available seats increase the tariffs, as airlines are looking to make as much profit as possible on a flight. Yet there can be another, more obscure reason that makes tickets become more expensive: price gouging. This term refers to price hikes on essential goods during emergencies such as hurricanes. In Florida, the practice is prohibited by law.
“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 during a hurricane briefing.
Folks in Hurricane Milton's path:
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 9, 2024
Listen to local authorities.
Evacuate while it is still safe to do so.
And if you cannot evacuate, find a shelter near you by texting SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. pic.twitter.com/Rtt63NfOV2
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg warned airlines about price gouging, saying the service is “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.”
NEW: The @USDOT is now "in touch with airlines" about possible price gouging on those fleeing Hurricane Milton.
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) October 8, 2024
United tells me it capped fares from impacted airports to hubs and the average one-way economy ticket has been under $500. Flights from JAX to ORD tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/HajYUzl8VR
With Hurricane Milton rapidly approaching and demand thus increasing, it is hard to tell which price spikes are due to natural price fluctuations and which could be labelled as price gouging. However, Jeremy Bingaman, a music-industry podcaster, took to X to accuse United Airlines of the practice.
Hey @united, what’s up with the price gouging in Tampa for people trying to evacuate? Your prices aren’t nearly as comparable to American or Southwest… shady. pic.twitter.com/DWBT05QQL5
— Jeremy (@iowaradioguy) October 7, 2024
Many social media users seemed outraged by his post. Others pointed out the natural price fluctuations and the fact that the Tampa-St Louis flight he searched for demanded multiple legs. United Airlines also responded to his accusation, saying the proposed itinerary was invalid, as Tampa Airport was to close on Tuesday.
Eerie scenes at Tampa International Airport as the airport suspends all operations in anticipation of #HurricaneMilton. pic.twitter.com/rij6uJb8LW
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 9, 2024
“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”, United spokesperson Leslie Scott stated.
However, if travellers are convinced that an airline has been price-gouging their flights, travel expert and advocate for the American Economic Liberties Project, William McGee, urges them to take action. “We’ve seen this with growing frequency in the deregulated era in response to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. It’s important for consumers who are experiencing this to file complaints with the [Transportation Department] and perhaps share details on social media.”
