According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the average domestic air fare decreased to a total of $352 during the first quarter of 2017, which is down 5 percent during the same period in 2016 when accounting for inflation.
The BTS report publishes average fares based on domestic itinerary fares, which consist of round-trip fares unless the passenger does not purchase a return trip. One-way trips accounted for approximately 34 percent of fares calculated throughout the quarter.
For one-way tickets, the average fare was $256 during the quarter while average round-trip fare was listed at $417. Each fare is based on total ticket value consisting of prices charged by airlines plus additional taxes and fees levied by outside entities at the time of purchase. Fare prices do not include add-on items for travelers such as baggage fees.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, average fares rose by 1.5 percent from $347, representing the second consecutive quarterly increase. In six quarters prior to Q4 2016, fares had decreased each consecutive quarter.
Of the airports surveyed by BTS for its report, 13 had the highest average fares totaling $386, each of which averaged between 50,000 and 99,999 originating passengers. Airports that averaged between 1.0 to 1.5 million had the lowest fares of any group totaling $314.