AirFare Data

BTS 05-12

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Contact: Dave Smallen

Tel: 202-366-5568



BTS Releases 3rd-Quarter 2011 Air Fare Data;


3rd-Quarter Domestic Air Fares Rose 6.2% from 3rd Quarter 2010



Average domestic air fares rose to $361 in the third quarter of 2011, up 6.2 percent from the average fare of $340 in the third quarter of 2010 (Table 1), the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Cincinnati had the highest average fare, $488, while Atlantic City, NJ, had the lowest, $167 (Table 3).

Third-quarter fares decreased 2.4 percent from the second quarter (Table 2). Quarter-to-quarter changes may be affected by seasonal factors.


BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reports average fares based on domestic itinerary fares. Itinerary fares consist of round-trip fares unless the customer does not purchase a return trip. In that case, the one-way fare is included. 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.

Not inflation-adjusted, the $361 third-quarter 2011 average fares were up 0.5 percent from the previous third-quarter high of $359 in 2008. Unadjusted third-quarter fares dropped to $307 in 2009 during the recession. Third-quarter 2011 fares were up 17.5 percent from the 2009 low, not adjusted for inflation (Table 6).

Third-quarter 2011 fares, not adjusted for inflation, were the second highest of any quarter, slightly below the high of $370 in the second quarter of 2011. Adjusted for inflation, third-quarter 2011 fares in 1995 dollars were $244, down 18.0 percent from the third quarter of 2000, which, at $297, was the inflation-adjusted high for any third quarter since 1995 (Table 1). BTS air fare records begin in 1995.

See BTS AirFARE Data Page.

Passenger airlines collected 71.4 percent of their total revenue from passenger fares during the third quarter of 2011, the most recent quarter available (Table 1A).

Air fares in the third quarter of 2011 increased 7.1 percent from the third quarter of 2000, not adjusted for inflation, compared to an overall increase in consumer prices of 30.6 percent during that period. In the 16 years from 1995, the first year of BTS air fare records, air fares rose 25.5 percent compared to a 48.1 percent inflation rate (Table 6). The average inflation-adjusted third-quarter 2011 fare in 1995 dollars was $244 compared to $288 in 1995 and $297 in 2000 (Table 1).

See tables below for the following information about the top 100 airports based on 2010 originating passengers.

Table 3: Five highest and five lowest average fares in the third quarter: Cincinnati had the highest average fare, $488, while Atlantic City had the lowest, $167. For the Top 100 Airports, see Table 8 on the BTS website.

Table 4: Five largest increases and five largest decreases from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2011: Bellingham, WA, had the largest increase, 18.0 percent, and Charleston, SC, had the largest decrease, 10.1 percent. For the Top 100 Airports, see Table 9 on the BTS website.

Table 5: Five largest increases and five largest decreases from the third quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2011: Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena, CA, had the largest increase, 57.6 percent, and White Plains, NY, had the largest decrease, 43.1 percent. For the Top 100 Airports, see Table 10 on the BTS website.


See the BTS Air Fare web page for average fares for the top 100 airports.



Rankings can also be found on the BTS website. Fares for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico airports, which are not included in rankings, are available on the web page. Average fares for all airports are also available. Since average fares are based on the Origin and Destination Survey 10 percent ticket sample, averages for airports with smaller samples may be less reliable.

Fourth-quarter 2011 average fare data will be released on April 25.