With all the changes in air travel over the past 25 years—shrinking coach-seat space, mergers, elite perks, fees upon fees—is anything left unchanged?
The ticket price.
In the first quarter of 1996, the average domestic airline ticket cost $284, according to the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Twenty-five years later—the first quarter of this year—the average domestic ticket cost? $260.
Adjusted for inflation, air travel in the U.S. has gotten much cheaper. That 1996 ticket in today’s dollars would be $482, BTS says, or 85% more than the recent pandemic-depressed average price.
Yes, prices jumped sharply in June, when travel was hot again compared with June 2020. And that was a significant component in the rise of the Consumer Price Index, adding fuel to inflation worries. July numbers will be out this week. Economists will be watching airfare closely.
