The average domestic airfare decreased to $381 in the first quarter of 2014, down 1 percent from the average fare of $384 in the first quarter of 2013, adjusted for inflation, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics has reported. The data is based on round-trip ticket prices unless the customer did not purchase a return ticket, as was the case for 34 percent of fares.
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International (CVG) had the highest average fare in the country at $514; Orlando Sanford International (SFB) had the lowest at $119.
The five airports with the highest average airfares all had average fares exceeding $480. After CVG, Washington Dulles International (IAD) ranked second with an average fare of $499, followed by Dane County Regional (MSN) at $496, George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) at $494 and Newark Liberty International at $482.
Smaller airports dominated the low-fare rankings. SFB had the lowest airfare, followed by Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA) at $133, Atlantic City International (ACY) at $153, Bellingham International (BLI) at $218 and Long Beach (LBG) at $235.
The BTS data also revealed that in constant 2014 dollars, the average airfare in the first quarter of 2014, at $381, was 17.8 percent lower than the average fare in 1995 ($463).
Several airports saw significant swings in average airfares in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period a year ago. BLI and AZA both secured their spots among the lowest-airfare markets after sharp declines in average airfares. Average airfares at BLI dropped 23.7 percent from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014; AZA recorded a 14.1 percent drop for the same period. Long Island MacArthur (ISP) and ACY also had double-digit declines.
Conversely, Colorado Springs (COS) had the sharpest increase in average airfare, up 13.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. Orlando International (MCO) registered an 8.2 percent average airfare uptick and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International (BHM) had a 6.8 percent increase.
