Delta Air Lines is set to revolutionize the way it prices its flights with a bold new strategy: using artificial intelligence (AI) to individually tailor fare offers for each passenger.

In a move that marks a significant shift away from traditional fixed fares, Delta plans to harness AI's power to determine the highest possible price that each individual passenger is willing to pay for their ticket. This innovative approach aims to boost the airline's profitability and has already shown promising results in its pilot program.

Over the past year, Delta has been testing the new pricing strategy with AI on a small scale, with 3 percent of all fares being set by machine learning algorithms. The results have been "amazingly favorable," according to the airline. Now, Delta is aiming to expand this approach to 20 percent of all fares by the end of 2025.

In the long term, the plan is for AI to completely take over the pricing of Delta's flight tickets, allowing the airline to offer more personalized and dynamic fare options to its customers. But as exciting as this new development may be, it has also raised concerns among consumer advocates.

One consumer organization in California has accused Delta of essentially "hacking" passengers' brains to extract their maximum willingness to pay for tickets. However, there are certain laws that AI must adhere to when it comes to pricing, including restrictions on charging differently based on gender or ethnicity.

Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of AI-powered pricing are undeniable. By analyzing individual passenger behavior and preferences, airlines can offer more tailored fare options that appeal to a wider range of customers. This could lead to increased revenue and improved customer satisfaction.

But as Delta's new pricing strategy takes shape, it remains to be seen how passengers will react to the introduction of AI-driven fare pricing. Will they welcome the opportunity for personalized deals, or will they feel that their airline is exploiting them? Only time will tell.

The rise of AI-powered pricing in aviation marks a significant turning point in the industry's approach to fare-setting. As airlines continue to explore new technologies and innovative strategies, one thing is clear: the future of air travel will be shaped by the intersection of human ingenuity and machine learning.