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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

1st-Quarter 2018 Air Fare Data

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2018

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First quarter 2018 average domestic itinerary air fare: $346

  • Down 3.7 percent from 1Q 2017 ($360)
  • Down 1.1 percent from 4Q 2017 ($350)

Averages adjusted for inflation.

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Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, BTS Air Fares, Origin and Destination Survey

Itinerary Fares: Round-trips but includes one-ways if no return is purchased.
Trips: One-way, 39 percent ($253); round-trip, 61 percent, ($413)
 
Fare calculations by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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.

Inflation-Adjusted Air Fares (Constant 2018 dollars)

Figure 1. U.S. Average Domestic Fares, 1st Quarter 1995-2018

Unadjusted 1Q Fares (current dollars) Inflation-Adjusted 1Q Fares (2018 $)
1995 297 490
1996 284 456
1997 283 442
1998 305 468
1999 332 501
2000 340 498
2001 348 492
2002 320 448
2003 319 434
2004 320 428
2005 301 391
2006 323 404
2007 318 388
2008 333 391
2009 314 368
2010 328 376
2011 356 399
2012 373 407
2013 378 406
2014 382 405
2015 388 411
2016 361 379
2017 352 360
2018 346 346
Source:

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Origin and Destination Survey

1Q 2018 fare ($346):
Same Quarter: Down 30.9 percent from the highest 1Q fare, $501 in 1999
All Quarters: Down 30.9 percent from the highest fare for any quarter, $501 in 1Q 1999
Start of BTS records: Down 29.2 percent from 1Q 1995
Recent low: Up 1.9 percent from 3Q 2017 ($340)
Recent high: Down 16.3 percent from 4Q 2014 ($414)

Other Revenue: In recent years, airlines obtained additional revenue from passenger fees, as well as from other sources. U.S. passenger airlines collected 73.3 percent of total revenue from passenger fares during 1Q 2018, down from 87.6 percent in 1995.

 

1Q2018 fare ($346):
Trend: Decreased from previous quarter
Same Quarter: Down 10.8 percent from the highest 1Q fare, $388 in 2015
All Quarters: Down 12.4 percent from the highest fare for any quarter, $396 in 2Q2014
Start of BTS records: Up 16.7 percent from 1Q 1995 (compared to 64.9 percent consumer price increase)
Recent low: Up 3.2 percent from 3Q2017 ($336)
Recent high: Down 12.4 percent from 2Q2014 ($396)
 

Fares by Airport

 

Highest: Six airports with between 50,000 and 99,999 originating ($467).
Lowest: 11 airports with 1.0 to 1.49 million originating passengers ($319).

 

Additional data: see Top 100 Airports or All Airports. Fares for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico airports are not included in rankings but are available on the web page. Second Quarter 2018 average fare data will be released Oct. 16.

 

Standard error: Results for average fares are based on the BTS Origin & Destination Survey, a 10 percent sample of airline tickets used during the quarter. Averages for airports with smaller samples may be less reliable.

 

All itinerary fares: standard error is 0.31.  The 90 percent confidence interval ranges from $345.97 to $347.00.
Round-trip fares: standard error is 0.39. The 90 percent confidence interval ranges from $413.19 to $414.47.
One-way fares: standard error is 0.40. The 90 percent confidence interval ranges from $252.63 to $253.95.