The DOJ is investigating whether airlines are cheating to make your flights more expensive
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether airlines are working together to artificially inflate airfares, according to multiple news reports this morning.
Airlines may have reduced the amount of seating available on some routes, increasing airfare prices and limiting competition, and are now reaping big profits, the department’s investigation suggests.
Federal prosecutors have asked airlines for documents about their moves to limit capacity on flight routes. Major airlines told The New York Times that they are cooperating with the investigation but don’t believe the market is anti-competitive.
The investigation is a sharp turn for the Justice Department, which in November 2013 approved a merger between US Airways and American Airlines, creating the largest airline company in the world. Just four carriers—Delta, Southwest, United and American—now control more than 80 percent of the market, a share that was spread out between 11 airlines a decade ago, the Times reported.