That is a hard thing to believe – that airlines profit less than $6 per passenger. But, that is what is reported according to IATA’s CEO, Tony Tyler.
How Much Per Passenger?
It is hard to believe that given the amount of money that is spent on travel and the huge profits we hear about each year – Delta profited $2.7 billion last year. However, when you consider that Delta flew 165 million passengers last year, that number becomes a little more believable. Consider that the figure of less than $6 is across airlines and it makes even more sense.
Read the whole story from CNN here. I know this frequent flyer community is a drop in the bucket, but it still feels good to know that we are not anywhere near the top of the chart when it comes to the profit amount. 🙂 Combine this with the news that Gary (View from the Wing) wrote about yesterday (pending rule changes dealing with mistake fares) and you can tell that the airlines are going to do their best to protect those profits.
How much does the average item purchased at a major US grocery store profit the store? Probably better measures in cents than in dollars.
The airlines whining about how little/much money they make from customers doesn’t make me more sympathetic to their situation but sympathy is what they want in order to get or sustain their governmental waivers and favors.