Some greedy airliners operating in the United States have been criticized for hiking prices as Florida residents seek escape from Category 5 Hurricane Irma.
A reporter with Fox News tweeted that United Airlines ticket has skyrocketed to as much as $6,300 for trips between Miami and Atlanta.
John Roberts’ tweet bemoaned the unfair price hike which regrettably comes at a time the world is offering help to affected residents around the location. The cost of those flights in an economy class would have been far less than 50 percent at other times of the year.
While south Florida coast was bracing up for the catastrophe, storm-related looting have been widely reported, and airlines are obviously the top players.
As Mediait reported, desperate Floridans are taking small loans and many car owners are auctioning off their cars to raise the outrageous amount they require to leave on time.
Roberts warned about the exploitation from airliners saying, “Looking to fly out of Hurricane Irma’s path on @United? Be prepared to mortgage the house.”
Another tweet from a Twitter user @LeighDow shows Delta Air is also guilty of the reported “looting.” The airliner’s fare shot up from $547 to an ear-tingling $3,200 for a journey of about 16 hours between MIA and PHX.
Florida governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency, and the mayor of Miami-Dade county has advised residents to leave as soon as possible.
Price hiking during a state of emergency like Hurricane Irma is “technically illegal in Florida,” Mediait argued, adding that airlines are able to work around the law because they are regulated by federal entities — not states.
Having discovered the loopholes, airliners always find ways to exploit such natural disasters to dramatically increase flight costs.
Only Jet Blue and American Air was reported to have maintained minimal prices. According a Yahoo News report, the former set a max cost of $159 for all flights leaving Florida.
However, the cost of operation and an obvious lack of passengers seem to be a reason behind the outrageous price hikes.
@AmericanAir now capping pre-tax fares at $99 for direct flights out of Florida, airline tells @ABC – @wtlloyd7. #Irma
