U.S. airlines are predicting a second record summer in a row, topping last year’s numbers by 3.7% over last summer’s 237.3 million passengers. They’ve added 116,000 seats to the summer schedule to accommodate the demand.
The June through August period is the most popular period for vacations, and with low (if rising) fuel prices and relatively good economic news generally and stable-to-lower fares, the increase seems inevitable.
How low are fares? According to Airlines For America, which represents most of the industry, “Through 2017, inflation-adjusted airfares continued to fall, averaging less than 2010 fares both with and without ancillary fees included. In constant 2017 dollars, a round-trip ‘all-in’ ticket averaged $363 in 2017, well below the 2010 average of $380.” In fact, by that measure, A4A says, fares have dropped by 12.5% since 2014.
