As US airlines deploy AI pricing tools, start-ups help travellers cash in on fare drops
AI generated
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travellers → deploy → drops
US airlines are turning to artificial intelligence to help maximise revenue from airfares.
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airlines → turn → airfares
Now startups are putting AI to work on the other side of the transaction, helping passengers automatically claw back savings when ticket prices fall.
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prices → put → savings
Companies including JetBack, Junova and Refare monitor fares after customers have booked and seek refunds or flight credits when prices drop.
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prices → include → refunds
Their pitch is simple: airlines have spent decades building sophisticated pricing systems, while travellers have largely been left to check the prices themselves.
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travellers → spend → prices
The services are emerging as airlines face scrutiny over how they use AI in pricing.
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they → emerge → pricing
While AI’s role in aviation continues to evolve, airlines are using the technology to monitor competitors’ fares while testing applications aimed at optimising pricing and improving flight operations.
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airlines → continue → operations
The use of AI has garnered questions from lawmakers over whether the technology could harm consumers if it is used to set individualised pricing based on consumer data and behaviour.
uncertain
it → garner → data
For travellers, the startups are exploiting a change that followed the Covid-19 pandemic, when many US airlines eliminated change fees on most non-refundable tickets as travellers grew hesitant to book travel amid testing requirements, quarantine rules and border closures.
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travellers → exploit → requirements
That means a passenger who buys a ticket for US$500 (S$638) may be able to claim the difference if the fare later falls to US$400, without additional charges, though airline policies vary.
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policies → mean → charges
“Airlines have spent decades investing in incredibly sophisticated pricing technology, while consumers are still expected to do the equivalent of refreshing a webpage and crossing their fingers,” said Bryan Dubno, founder of JetBack, which says it has recovered US$2.4 million in credits and refunds since launching in early 2025.
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it → spend → 2025
“AI doesn’t have to be a one-sided advantage.”
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AI → have → ?
Junova said that among 10,000 flights it monitored from September 2025 through July 2026, about 22% experienced at least one fare drop.
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% → say → drop
About 40% of those saw prices decline more than once, illustrating how rapidly fares can change after a passenger has booked.
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passenger → see → those
Airfares fluctuate like stock market prices, said AJ Brustein, Junova’s co-founder: “They go up and down, often up.
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They → fluctuate → prices
But when it goes down, you have an opportunity to get that difference in price back.”
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you → go → price
Junova and Refare charge customers only when they recover money, taking 20% and 25%, respectively, of the savings, while JetBack charges US$100 a year.
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JetBack → charge → 100
Airlines can change the rules
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Airlines → change → rules
The business model, however, depends heavily on airlines continuing to accommodate fare drops without imposing large penalties.
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airlines → depend → penalties
The Covid-19 crisis weakened a revenue stream for US air carriers, which collected US$2.84 billion in reservation cancellation or change fees in 2019.
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which → weaken → 2019
Before the pandemic, change fees on many non-refundable tickets made recovering a modest fare decline impractical.
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recovering → make → decline
The widespread elimination of those fees created an opening for companies that can continuously monitor prices and pursue credits on customers’ behalf.
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that → create → behalf
That opening could close.
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opening → close → ?
In early October, Alaska Airlines stopped honouring fare drops through customer service, instead directing travellers seeking to capture a lower fare to cancel and rebook under the applicable fare rules.
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Airlines → stop → rules
Alaska said it does not charge cancellation fees for its main and first-class fares.
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it → say → fares
But its basic economy tickets are eligible for a credit of 50% of the ticket value when cancelled at least 14 days prior to departure.
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tickets → cancel → departure
“We’re fearful that we could be shut out if other airlines go that route,” said Justin Dombrow, founder of Refare.
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Dombrow → ’re → Refare
Airlines may nevertheless have reason to tolerate the services.
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Airlines → have → services
Many fare adjustments on non-refundable tickets are issued as credits rather than cash, requiring passengers to spend the money with the same carrier.
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adjustments → issue → carrier
“Depending on how you look at it, the refunds are still a win for the airline,” Brustein said.
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Brustein → depend → airline
The Aporia
