- In inflation-adjusted dollars, the average U.S. domestic airfare has fallen 37.3% since 1995, from $627.81 to $393.33 in 2025.
- The unadjusted (nominal) sticker price tells a different story: it actually rose 32.5% over the same period, from $292.19 to $387.01.
- The steepest single-year drop was 2020, down 18.0% in real terms as COVID-19 collapsed air travel demand.
- The most recent data available, Q1 2026, shows fares at $427.81, already above the entire 2025 annual average of $387.01 and the highest quarterly figure in current dollars anywhere in the series.
01 Introduction
In inflation-adjusted dollars, average U.S. domestic airfare has fallen 37.3% since 1995 (from $627.81 to $393.33 in 2025), even though the nominal sticker price actually rose 32.5% over the same period. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has tracked the average domestic airline fare every year since 1995, in both the dollars actually printed on the ticket and dollars adjusted for inflation. Looking at both series side by side tells a story that runs against the common assumption that flying keeps getting more expensive.
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare, Current and Constant Dollars02 The 30-Year Trend: Flying Got Cheaper, Not More Expensive
In inflation-adjusted dollars (2026 constant dollars, as BTS publishes them), the average domestic fare has fallen from $627.81 in 1995 to $393.33 in 2025, a decline of 37.3%. The unadjusted (current-dollar) fare rose over the same period, from $292.19 to $387.01, up 32.5%. Both are in the BTS series: the current-dollar fare is higher, and the inflation-adjusted fare is lower.
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare series, 1995-2025. Inflation adjustment to 2026 constant dollars using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, as published by BTS.Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator03 Year-by-Year Fares
For readers looking for a specific year, the table below lists the average U.S. domestic itinerary fare for every year from 1995 through 2025, in both inflation-adjusted (2026 constant dollars) and nominal (current) dollars.
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare series, Current and Constant Dollars, 1995–2025.| Year | Inflation-Adjusted (2026 $) | Nominal ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $627.81 | $292.19 |
| 1996 | $577.45 | $276.63 |
| 1997 | $585.86 | $287.22 |
| 1998 | $621.00 | $309.17 |
| 1999 | $636.51 | $323.83 |
| 2000 | $644.57 | $339.00 |
| 2001 | $592.86 | $320.62 |
| 2002 | $568.52 | $312.33 |
| 2003 | $561.29 | $315.36 |
| 2004 | $529.41 | $305.41 |
| 2005 | $515.22 | $307.31 |
| 2006 | $533.62 | $328.55 |
| 2007 | $513.62 | $325.26 |
| 2008 | $526.75 | $346.38 |
| 2009 | $473.64 | $310.35 |
| 2010 | $504.65 | $336.09 |
| 2011 | $529.61 | $363.85 |
| 2012 | $534.45 | $374.77 |
| 2013 | $540.04 | $384.24 |
| 2014 | $548.24 | $396.40 |
| 2015 | $523.87 | $379.23 |
| 2016 | $483.69 | $354.56 |
| 2017 | $463.57 | $347.05 |
| 2018 | $455.77 | $349.58 |
| 2019 | $451.12 | $352.25 |
| 2020 | $369.73 | $292.26 |
| 2021 | $370.90 | $306.96 |
| 2022 | $423.04 | $378.13 |
| 2023 | $409.94 | $381.50 |
| 2024 | $400.39 | $383.60 |
| 2025 | $393.33 | $387.01 |
04 The Sharpest Year-to-Year Moves
The 31-year series is not a smooth line. The table lists four of the largest year-over-year moves in the BTS data.
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare series, year-over-year percent change as published by BTS| Year | Inflation-Adjusted YoY | Nominal YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | -8.0% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | -10.1% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | -18.0% | -17.0% |
| 2022 | +14.1% | +23.2% |
2020's 18.0% real-dollar drop is the single largest year-over-year decline in the entire 31-year series, larger than the next-biggest decline, 10.1% in 2009. In 2022 the nominal fare rose 23.2% in a single year, the fastest one-year increase in the series.
05 The Most Recent Data: A 2026 Uptick
The most recent data available goes through the first quarter of 2026, and it shows a fare of $427.81, already higher than the entire 2025 annual average of $387.01 and the highest quarterly figure in current dollars anywhere in the series (the previous high was $404.57 in Q4 2025).
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Quarterly National Level Domestic Average Fare series, Q1 202606 Methodology and Caveats
All figures in this article come directly from BTS's published average fare series, without independent recalculation of the underlying survey data.
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics- Fares are domestic itinerary fares: round-trip fares, or the one-way fare if no return trip was purchased, based on total ticket value including taxes and fees charged at purchase.
- Fares exclude optional service fees such as checked baggage, seat selection, or change fees, and exclude frequent-flyer or "zero fares."
- Inflation adjustment uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, expressed in 2026 constant dollars, as published by BTS.
- Percent changes are BTS's own published figures, calculated from unrounded underlying values, which can differ slightly from a recalculation using the rounded dollar figures shown in the table.
07 Data Sources
Every figure in this article comes from a U.S. government source. No proprietary, estimated, or third-party data was used.
- U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare, 1995-2026 (Current and Constant Dollars). transtats.bts.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Quarterly National Level Domestic Average Fare Series, 1st Quarter 2026. transtats.bts.gov