FTC orders Delta, Uber, Walmart and six others to explain data-driven pricing

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday ordered nine companies, including Delta, United, JetBlue, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart, to explain how they use personal data, algorithms and loyalty programs to set prices for customers and pay for gig workers. The agency wants to learn whether prices for airline tickets, rides, food deliveries and other goods vary from person to person, and its chair, Andrew Ferguson, said the FTC would scrutinize opaque pricing methods. The information will feed a study meant to inform regulators and lawmakers about personalized pricing, a practice that is hard to observe from outside. The FTC cannot impose fines or regulations on the airlines because its authority excludes that industry, and it is also studying ride-sharing and delivery firms.

Left-leaning coverage from The Guardian US leads with cost-of-living pressure, describing family budgets strained by inflation and citing surveillance pricing and overcharges by Dollar General and convenience stores. Right-leaning Fox Business frames the probe as a check on whether customers are charged different prices, while the New York Post ties it to next week's congressional elections and voters' ranking of cost of living as their top issue, citing a senior FTC official and listing data such as location, browsing history and income. The alternative AP report sticks to the order and the named companies, without that political or inflation context. All sides agree on the companies and the core purpose; they differ mainly in emphasis, with the left stressing consumer harm and the right the election timing.