Air Fares
Legacy ID
326
Show Effective Date
On
Significant Regulatory Guidance
No
Average Air Fares Dropped to All-Time Low in 2020
Release Number: BTS 27-21
Third Quarter 2020 Air Fare Drops to New Low as Passenger Numbers Decline
Release Number: BTS 07-21
The average U.S. domestic air fare declined in the third quarter of 2020 to $245, the lowest inflation-adjusted average quarterly air fare in Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) records dating back to 1995. The previous low was $262 in the second quarter of 2020.
Adjusted for inflation (constant 2020 dollars) the average 3Q 2020 air fare was:
Second Quarter 2020 Air Fare Drops to New Low as Passenger Numbers Decline
U.S. domestic air fares declined in the second quarter of 2020 to $259, the lowest inflation-adjusted quarterly air fare in Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) records dating back to 1995. The previous low was $334 in the first quarter of 2020.
First Quarter 2020 Air Fare Drops to New Low
U.S. domestic average air fares declined in the first quarter of 2020 to $336, the lowest inflation-adjusted quarterly air fare on record in Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) records dating back to 1995. The previous low was $347 in the third quarter of 2019.
Adjusted for inflation, (constant 2020 dollars) the first-quarter 2020 air fare was:
- Down 6.0% from 1Q 2019 ($358)
- Down 6.1% from 4Q 2019 ($358)
- Down 21.6% from 1Q 2015 ($429)
Annual and Fourth-Quarter 2019 Air Fare Data
The 2019 average domestic itinerary air fare of $355 was the lowest inflation-adjusted annual fare since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics began collecting such records in 1995, down 0.3% from the previous low of $356 in 2018.
During the year, fares dropped in the third quarter to $346, inflation-adjusted, the lowest quarterly fare on record. In the fourth quarter, fares rose to $357, up 2.1% from the $349 fare in the fourth quarter of 2018.