Airfares take off in 2012
It was a big year for airfares in 2012, as prices to top destinations like Paris, Beijing, Key West, and Hong Kong soared by 25%.
Flying across the Atlantic, from North America to London, cost 30% more in 2012 than in 2011, says a new report by travel website Kayak.com.
The higher prices didn’t keep travelers from flying, though. London was the top destination for North American travelers, getting a boost from the Olympics and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, followed by San Juan, Cancun, Paris, and Rome.
Overall, airfares were up 17% in 2012 over 2011 in every major market studied except Toronto.
June saw the worst of it, ranking the most expensive month to travel, while January was the least busy.
The cheapest average airfares for short domestic trips were on flights leaving on Saturday and returning on Monday. For stays of a week or more, Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly.
On short international trips, prices were 21% lower than average for passengers who left on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday. Longer stays were cheapest if they left on Saturday and returned on Sunday.
The cheapest domestic flights were in January, February, September, and October; the best international fares were in February and March.
Las Vegas held its traditional top spot among U.S. destinations, followed by New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, and San Francisco.
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