logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
58 m

536. Is Your Plane Ticket Too Expensive ...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Most travelers want the cheapest flight they can find. Airlines, meanwhile, need to manage volatile fuel costs, a pricey workforce, and complex logistics. So how do they make money — and how did America’s grubbiest airport suddenly turn into a palace? (Part 3 of “Freakonomics Radio Takes to the Skies.”)

Up next
Yesterday
How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and she’s ... Show More
58m 7s
Jul 4
639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”
Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference. SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey. RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Going to Speak Up?'" by The New Yorker Radio Hour (2025)."Cory Booker’s Marathon Floo ... Show More
53m 46s
Jun 27
638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?
In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach to aging is stuck in the 20th century. In less than an hour, we try to unstick it. (Part three of ... Show More
54m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Going, Boeing, Gone
The girlies answer a pressing question: why is flying so awful? We used to have hotties in Pan Am uniforms serving us caviar, and now we suffer through heinous security lines to sit in seats with no legroom where the emergency exit door is not guaranteed to stay on til landing.   ... Show More
1h 18m
May 2023
Pourquoi c'est souvent plus cher de voyager en train qu'en avion?
"Why Is It Often More Expensive to Travel by Train than by Plane?" Transcription : https://www.patreon.com/posts/82986758 
19m 55s
Mar 2022
Pourquoi les prix des billets sur Air France-KLM augmentent-ils ?
Parmi les conséquences de la guerre en Ukraine, figure l'augmentation des prix du carburant. Celle-ci touche directement les compagnies aériennes, dont certaines ont déjà annoncé une hausse de leurs tarifs. Une hausse des prix Plusieurs compagnies aériennes ont déjà annoncé la co ... Show More
1m 52s
Jan 2023
The Southwest Airlines Meltdown
Air travel was a mess over the holidays — in the last 10 days of December, 30,000 flights were canceled. While every airline was affected, one stood out: Southwest, which over the past few decades has transformed how Americans fly, melted down. In the last 10 days of the year, it ... Show More
28m 22s
Apr 2020
How to get a refund on your travel plans during coronavirus
As we approach the summer, many UAE residents are thinking about their travel plans. But while we would normally be discussing the exotic destinations we are heading to, or the journeys we are planning to our home countries, this year is very different. Rather than hunting for th ... Show More
23m 13s
Apr 2023
Why are African flights so expensive?
Prices are around 45% more expensive than equivalent trips elsewhere, and it's often cheaper to fly out of the continent and back in. We look at the reasons Africans are paying higher fares for both internal and international flights, the impact this is having on business and tou ... Show More
18m 13s