Domestic flight fares soaring

If you think your US air ticket is costing more, you’re right: domestic airfares on average increased almost 11 percent — to US$340 — from July to September 2010, compared with the same period in the previous year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
 

Air fares have been rising steadily since June of 2009. Prior to that, they took a severe drop at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, according to agency numbers.
 

Still, the average fare of $340 is 5.4 percent below the all-time high — not adjusted for inflation — of $359 in the third quarter of 2008.
 

The airfare data comes just after the Air Transport Association reported the 12th consecutive month of airline revenue growth for US-based carriers.
 

In December, passenger revenue rose, on average, 9 percent for US carriers, compared with the same month in 2009, the trade group reported.
 

The airfare numbers do not include revenue the airlines collect from fees charged to checked luggage, change flight schedules, buy on-board food and upgrade to roomier seats.
 

By David Wilkening