Feds Investigate Price-Gouging Airlines

The government will investigate Delta, United, American, Southwest, and JetBlue airlines for price-gouging, according to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The five airlines are accused of raising airfares in the Northeast after an Amtrak crash in Philadelphia derailed train service in May. “The idea that any business would seek to take advantage of stranded rail passengers in the wake of such a tragic event is unacceptable,” Foxx said. The inquiry was prompted in part by a letter to the Obama administration from Sen. Christopher Murphy, who complained that some airlines had hiked prices up as far as $2,300 after the deadly crash.