Airfares could be calculated on ‘postcode and travel history’

A passenger's postcode and travel history could soon determine how much they are charged for airfares, according to the head of a Spanish low-fare carrier.

Vueling head Alex Cruz told the International Air Transport Association conference in the US "the barriers were coming down" and it was "inevitable" postcodes would begin to influence prices offered to passengers.

Those from wealthy suburbs would be charged more than those from poorer suburbs.

Some airlines have been accused of changing fares depending on the web browser used to book the flights, the Daily Telegraph reports.

American Airlines reportedly charges Safari and Apple users more, on the assumption they are more wealthy.

Stored information such as “cookies” can reportedly also store details of past travel bookings allowing airlines to charge higher fees for favoured routes.

Qantas and Virgin both confirmed to the newspaper they had begun using passenger data to “personalise” or “enhance” the travel experience but stopped short of saying they used postcodes to determine fares.

Tom Godfrey from consumer advocacy group Choice warned travellers to be wary of loyalty schemes and other efforts to collect personal information.

“There’s a misguided perception that loyalty brings value, whereas so often loyalty brings higher prices,” Mr Godfrey told the newspaper.

“As consumers we really should have a debate about what data is being kept and how it’s being used.”