Second Quarter 2019 Air Fare Data
The second quarter 2019 average domestic itinerary air fare of $364 was an increase from both the first quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2018, adjusted for inflation.
Adjusted for inflation, (constant 2019 dollars) the 2Q 2019 air fare was:
- Up 2.5% from 2Q 2018 ($355)
- Up 1.9% from 1Q 2019 ($358)
- Down 14.4% from 2Q 2014 ($426)
The 2Q average fare calculation does not include Frontier Airlines due to data reporting problems. The largest potential impacts would be in cities where Frontier has a substantial market share, such as Denver (12% market share) and Orlando (10% market share).
Itinerary Fares: Round-trips, but includes one-way tickets if no return is purchased.
Breakout of trip types: one-way, 40% ($265); round-trip, 60% ($440).
Fare calculations by BTS
Based on a random sample of 10% of the tickets.
Total ticket value: The price charged by airlines at time of ticket purchase.
Included: Additional taxes and fees levied by an outside entity at time of ticket purchase.
Not included: Fees for optional services, such as baggage fees
Figure 1. U.S. Average Domestic Fares, 2nd Quarter 1995-2019
Unadjusted Fares (current dollars) | Inflation-Adjusted (2019$) | 1 | |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | 297 | 499 | 2 |
1996 | 276 | 451 | 3 |
1997 | 289 | 462 | 4 |
1998 | 301 | 473 | 5 |
1999 | 329 | 507 | 6 |
2000 | 339 | 505 | 7 |
2001 | 329 | 474 | 8 |
2002 | 318 | 452 | 9 |
2003 | 315 | 438 | 10 |
2004 | 309 | 419 | 11 |
2005 | 307 | 404 | 12 |
2006 | 342 | 432 | 13 |
2007 | 325 | 401 | 14 |
2008 | 347 | 410 | 15 |
2009 | 302 | 361 | 16 |
2010 | 341 | 400 | 17 |
2011 | 370 | 420 | 18 |
2012 | 385 | 428 | 19 |
2013 | 378 | 415 | 20 |
2014 | 396 | 426 | 21 |
2015 | 386 | 416 | 22 |
2016 | 351 | 374 | 23 |
2017 | 356 | 372 | 24 |
2018 | 349 | 355 | 25 |
2019 | 364 | 364 | 26 |
27 |
Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Origin and Destination Survey
Other Revenue: In recent years, airlines increasingly obtain additional revenue from passenger fees, as well as from other sources. U.S. passenger airlines collected 73.5% of total operating revenue of $70.5 billion from passenger fares during the first six months of 2019, down from 88.5% in 1990.
Figure 2. Fares by Airport Group based on Number of Originating Domestic Passengers 2Q 2019
Originating Domestic Passengers | 2Q Fares (current dollars) | 1 |
---|---|---|
2M+ | 374 | 2 |
1.5M-2M | 335 | 3 |
1M-1.5M | 357 | 4 |
500K-1M | 360 | 5 |
100K-500K | 371 | 6 |
50K-100K | 312 | 7 |
Top 100 Airports | 361 | 8 |
All Airports | 364 | 9 |
10 |
Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Origin and Destination Survey
Additional data: see Top 100 Airports or All Airports. Third Quarter 2019 average fare data will be released Jan. 14.
Standard error: Results for average fares are based on the BTS Origin & Destination Survey, a 10% sample of airline tickets used during the quarter. Averages for airports with smaller samples may be less reliable.
Note: Results for average fares are based on the BTS Origin & Destination Survey, a 10 percent sample of airline tickets used during the quarter. For results based on all itinerary fares, the standard error is 0.27. The 90% confidence interval ranges from $363.98 to $364.85. For results based on round-trip fares, the standard error is 0.33. The 90% confidence interval ranges from $439.48 to $440.56. For results based on one-way fares, the standard error is 0.33. The 90% confidence interval ranges from $264.77 to $265.86.