This is correct, the single passenger 'economy' ticket is usually a loss leader. You can make the argument that airlines are companies that sell in flight beve

This is correct, the single passenger 'economy' ticket is usually a loss leader. You can make the argument that airlines are companies that sell in flight beverages and also happen to fly a passenger airplane. The actual profit comes from an unusual sources, like deals with credit card issues for a "rewards" program that gives you frequent flyer miles