Woman prepared to switch from Allegiant to Delta for her flight, then learned what ‘perks’ come with a $200 upgrade: ‘We are getting scammed’

Airline loyalty feels like a relic of the past lately. The days of getting a standard, comfortable flight for a predictable price seem to be long gone. Annie, @a.nnieli on TikTok, highlighted this frustration in a video on November 13, 2026. Annie was getting ready to switch from Allegiant to Delta for a flight. She looked into a $200 upgrade to a premium seat, but the list of perks left her feeling totally shortchanged. She bluntly told her followers, “We are getting scammed.”

Annie explained that she checked out a comfort seat because she assumed it would fix the restrictive nature of basic economy. She thought paying extra would finally let her pick a seat or earn full points. Instead, she found that airlines are now creating even more complicated tiers. She discovered a comfort basic tier that still restricts seat selection and limits point earnings. This makes the whole booking process feel like a shell game. 

A USA Today report from June 2026 labels this the ‘premium creep’. It is the quiet industry practice of taking features that used to be standard and rebranding them as expensive upgrades. Now, airlines often market a 34-inch seat pitch – what was once a normal economy experience – as a premium offering and charge you hundreds of dollars for the privilege. Industry experts suggest this is a calculated way to maximize profit margins by unbundling services that were once included in the ticket price.

The math illustrates it best

Airlines generated over $148 billion in ancillary revenue globally in 2024. That is a massive jump from the previous year. By making the base product uncomfortable, carriers effectively force travelers to pay extra just to avoid a bad experience. This strategy has spread far beyond the airline industry. It is seen in hotels charging mandatory resort fees for basic gym access and cruise lines pushing specialty dining over standard options. 

The cost to avoid these restrictive fares is climbing fast. Recent data shows that jumping from a basic economy ticket to a standard fare on domestic flights now regularly costs $100 or more. Thrifty Traveler states that if you are flying internationally to Europe or Asia, that price to avoid basic economy can hit $240 or higher. 

Airlines often use marketing buzzwords like “giving customers more choice” to justify these hikes. In reality, these tiers are designed to get you in the door with a low headline price before hitting you with fees for everything else.

Even budget carriers are getting in on the premium game

Another USA Today report states that airlines like Allegiant and Frontier are launching their own versions of first class for next spring. They are reconfiguring planes to include rows with extra legroom and better service. While some travelers appreciate having more options, this shift has a hidden downside for everyone else. 

Aircraft space is limited. When an airline adds more first class seats, they have to remove economy seats. This makes it harder for budget-conscious travelers to find those low-fare tickets in the first place. The comments on Annie’s video reflect this sentiment. One person likened it to ‘a caste system in the sky’. Another stressed, “Mind you we’re all going to the same destination for completely different prices.”

Some passengers are even turning to private aviation because they are so tired of the current state of commercial travel. The best way forward may be to stop looking at the advertised base price. Calculate the total cost of the trip, including bags, seat selection, and any other fees, before hitting purchase.

It is worth noting that some international carriers still provide actual service in economy without nickel-and-diming passengers for every little thing. If you want to find value, you often have to do the extra work of searching for off-peak days or using tools like flight filters that hide basic economy options. Voting with your wallet is the only way to push back against these clear cash grabs. 

Until we start demanding the old standards back, this cycle of fees will likely continue. It is a tough reality for regular travelers who just want a fair price for a basic service. Annie’s caption sums it up best. She says, “There’s literally no reason to be loyal to an airline anymore. Pick the one that offers the best route.”

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