California woman skips paying rent to visit her mother after 5 years. Then she opens United Airlines’ page: ‘hate this garbage can of a country’

One woman didn’t mince words after discovering the high cost of flying from California to Tennessee to visit her mother. In a TikTok video, Mel (@maestermel827) reveals the round-trip fare from San Francisco to Knoxville. “I hate this garbage can of a country so much,” she begins.

With the United Airlines booking page open, she explains, “I haven’t seen my mom in five years because of long-term unemployment. I can’t afford to visit her. She can’t afford to visit me. I’m spending money I literally don’t have.” A Wednesday departure would cost her $572, while Thursday’s flight is priced at $1,082 and Friday’s at $763.

It’s not an airlines problem

Mel says she decided to skip paying rent in order to afford the flight, since she already wanted to see her mother. She points out that it costs $100 just to add a carry-on bag. Reviewing the seat map, she finds that securing an aisle or window seat ranges from $68 to $172. “Do you understand how uncomfortable it is to be in an airplane seat when you are overweight? Let alone in the middle,” she concludes.

However, viewers in the comments section were largely unsympathetic, with many blaming the TikToker for her predicament. “It’s not a country thing, it’s a timing thing. All airlines are going to be more expensive last minute booking,” one commenter wrote. “Unfortunately with air travel you have to plan months in advance,” another added. “It’s because you are booking at the absolute last minute. You need to book about three months out. Even a month out will be a lot cheaper,” a third responded

Mel explained to BroBible that she had to book last-minute tickets, clarifying that her frustration was not with the base price but with the markups. “I could only arrive and depart on certain days. I didn’t want to go another x number of years risking not seeing my mom because of cost of living/travel,” she said. “Because of what I earn from odd jobs and receive from financial aid I have limited funds and only had access to those funds a week before the only time I could travel because of grad school and job interviews and also having to be home to deal with repairs for ongoing habitability issues in my apartment. I was venting my frustration not at the price of last-minute tickets (I’m well aware that they’re more expensive) but at the markup in prices from one day to the next/being charged for carry-on bags/and the premiums of even choosing the cheapest seats.”

Last-minute flights typically come with a hefty price. Researchers from UC Berkeley Haas found that price hikes begin 21 days before departure. Fares rise significantly at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day marks, so it’s best to book before these surge pricing windows. For the best fares, NerdWallet recommends booking U.S. domestic flights 1 to 3 months in advance and international trips 2 to 8 months ahead of time.

Travelers can save more by being flexible with travel dates, adding layovers, considering different airport options, and choosing midweek flights. Using incognito mode for browsing and a VPN can also help you find and secure the best deals. As for when to book, Travel + Leisure data shows that Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays are the best days to book flights.