Luxury Travel
Delta Airfares Show Targeting the Wealthy Is a Winning Strategy
- Prices are falling across the board, but less so at Delta
- U.S. carriers compete to lavish perks on high-end travelers
Much like the makers of designer handbags and craft beers, Delta Air Lines Inc. is finding it pays to pursue the high end.
Flying has gotten cheaper across the board in recent years, but Delta is beating its major U.S. rivals at retaining a premium on tickets sold to bigger-spending business travelers. The highest 10 percent of one-way Delta fares started at $521 last year, down 12 percent from 2014, according to ICF Inc., which crunched the numbers for Bloomberg. United Continental Holdings Inc.’s fares in that category fell 16 percent, while comparable ticket prices at American Airlines Group Inc. dropped 21 percent.