A TikTok creator says she watched the price of a United Airlines flight jump by hundreds of dollars the moment she entered her grandmother’s birth year, and she believes the airline charged more because her grandmother is a senior citizen.
The TikTok video was posted by Miss Taliamia (@misstaliamia) and has been viewed 880,200 times, with more than 58,800 likes and over 2,700 comments.
In her caption, she wrote, “How does this make sense @United Airlines? You are overcharging senior citizens just because of their age? This is AGE DISCRIMINATION & predatory pricing tactics.”
The ticket price changed after the birth year was entered on the booking page
In the video, the creator films her laptop screen while booking a one-way flight from Portland (PDX) to Syracuse (SYR) for her grandmother. She says, “Booking a flight for my grandmother says $752, right? I didn’t put any of her information in.”
She then points to the “Date of birth” field on the “Traveler Info” page, which shows February 21, 1949. She says, “She’s a senior. Okay, I just want you to see that she is a senior, 1949, right? Ticket’s supposed to be $752.”
After clicking “Continue,” a blue banner appeared at the top of the page reading, “Based on the traveler information provided, the price of your ticket has changed and is shown in your cart.” The updated price summary showed a new “Total due” of $1,156.20, with the fare listed as “1 senior (65+)” at $1,052.09.
Reacting to the change, she said, “Based on traveler information provided, the price of your ticket has changed. To $1,000 because she’s a senior. So United, you’re charging people for being older? You’re charging a senior tax?” United Airlines’ troubles go beyond this ticket dispute, as a Chicago woman was allegedly left on a tarmac for five hours.
The video then shows her entering her own birth date, November 7, 1990, into the same booking form. With her information entered, the total reverted to $752.20. She says, “Okay, now I put my information in, my birthday, obviously not a senior… $752, right? Still $752. That’s insane. United, what’s going on with that?”
She ended the video by saying, “So you’re charging people, elderly people, $250 more just because of their age? That makes no sense. None at all. We’re not using you, United. You suck.” The video’s on-screen text reads, “UNITED AIRLINES CHARGING SENIOR CITIZENS A TAX FOR BEING OLD!”
The video drew a large response in the comments section, with many users expressing concern over the price difference. One commenter wrote, “This has to be illegal.” Another said, “This is age discrimination and also violates the ADA.” A different user asked, “Why do they need to know your age to buy a ticket?”
Other commenters pushed back on the claim or offered alternate explanations. One wrote, “I just tried the exact same flight and it’s telling me it’s only $400, what is going on.” Another commenter disputed the video’s findings directly, writing, “Not true – you did something wrong or are not showing the full picture. This scenario was replicated and did NOT turn out that result.”
One user suggested reporting the issue to regulators, writing, “DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection- contact them and report!” Another commenter offered a technical explanation, writing, “I think this is a bug.” For United Airlines, pricing and policy disputes are not new, as a pregnant Maryland woman was allegedly forced off a flight for paying too little.
Responding to the video, United told SimpleFlying that it does not charge senior passengers higher fares for the same flight. The airline attributed the discrepancy to the way its booking system operates and the user’s alleged use of Google Flights.
Published: Aug 9, 2026 07:20 am