About Air Fares

This page presents two different measures of air fares. Both 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.

The first measure is average fares, the basic standard used widely in the airline industry to calculate fares. BTS average 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, such as baggage 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 second measure is the Air Travel Price Index (ATPI), a statistical index that documents quarterly changes in airline prices since the first quarter of 1995. The index measures changes in airline ticket prices used on identical routings and identical classes of service on a quarter-by-quarter basis.

Spirit Airlines data for the six quarters from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of 2009, which had been withheld from previous releases pending revision, have been updated and are included in this release. The addition of Spiritﾒs data resulted in changes to the list of top 100 airports based on 2008 originating passengers. Atlantic City, NJ, which was not included because Spirit operates more than 90 percent of the flights there, is now added to the Top 100 listings. It replaces Lubbock, TX. The changes in the top 100 list were described mistakenly in the first version of this release. Data for Lubbock is available on the Search for Average Fares page. Atlantic City average fares in the July 23, 2008 press release were based on incorrect data.