The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) recently released its third-quarter average airfare report. BTS average fares include round-trip and one-way itineraries. The average U.S. domestic airfare, inflation-adjusted, increased in the third quarter of 2022 to $383.34, up 13% from the third quarter of 2021 fare of $340.22. Compared to Q3 2019, the fare was 4% less, $398.59.
At Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, the average inflation-adjusted domestic fare in Q3 2022 increased 13% to $420.80 from Q3 2021 and is 7% less than in Q3 2019. Wichita’s fare is comparable with the fares in the region.
The pandemic forced airlines to drop airfares in 2020. The U.S. airfare fell 30%, and ICT’s average airfare fell 26% (Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2019). Fuel and labor costs have increased considerably since the pandemic.
