What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attends a Cabinet meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2024.

The Department of Transportation said Tuesday it is in contact with airlines about the affordability of their flights in areas hit by Hurricane Helene and those bracing for Hurricane Milton, as concerns about price gouging grow.

"DOT officials have been in touch with airlines to get more information about the capacity and affordability of flights in the affected areas," a DOT spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.

It is typical for the alarm around price gouging to grow louder in disasters such as hurricanes, when demand spikes from consumers scrambling for items such as last-minute flights and survival supplies.

Price gouging is the practice of retailers artificially inflating prices dramatically when the retailer's costs have not increased. In times of crisis, when urgent demand vastly outpaces supply, consumers can be especially vulnerable to price gouging.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Monday post on social media platform X that his agency was "keeping a close eye on flights in and out of areas affected by Hurricane Milton to make sure airlines are not charging excessively increasing fares."

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