The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), recently released U.S. air-fare data for the third quarter of 2015.
In the third quarter of last year, the average domestic air fare declined to $372, down 6.2 percent from $396 in the third quarter of 2014. This is also the lowest that the average has been since 2010 (after the figures are adjusted for inflation).
Adjusted for inflation, third-quarter fares increased 11.9 percent compared with the $338 low from 2009 due to the recession. Since 2011, the data show little change for third-quarter fares, with only a 1.7 percent decrease up to 2015.
Fares in last year’s third quarter were 19.4 percent less than the average fare in 2000: $461.
Average fares are based on domestic itinerary fares, which include round-trip prices. These exclude one-way fares, which make up 34 percent of the fares recorded in 2015’s third quarter.
All of the fares are based on total ticket value, which includes the price that the airlines charge, as well as additional fees and taxes from outside entities.
