Travel

About Air Fares

This page presents inflation-adjusted and unadjusted average air fares since 1995. Averages are computed using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Passenger Origin and Destination (O D) Survey, a 10% sample of all airline tickets for U.S. carriers, excluding charter air travel.

Average Fares are based on domestic itinerary fares. Itinerary fares consist of round-trip fares unless the customer does not purchase a return trip. In that case, the one-way fare is included. Fares are based on the total ticket value which consists of the price charged by the airlines plus any additional taxes and fees levied by an outside entity at the time of purchase. Fares include only the price paid at the time of the ticket purchase and do not include other fees paid at the airport or onboard the aircraft. Averages do not include frequent-flyer or "zero fares" or a few abnormally high reported fares. The inflation adjustment is calculated using dollars for the most recent year of air fare data.

The Air Travel Price Index (ATPI), shown at the bottom of the page, is a statistical index that measures changes in airline ticket prices used on identical routings and identical classes of service on a quarter-by-quarter basis since the first quarter of 1995. The last ATPI update was in the first quarter of 2011.