United and Eve launch electric commuter flights to San Francisco
14th June 2023
US government data suggest airfares rose by 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Q4 2022) compared with the previous three-month period.
According to the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the inflation-adjusted annual average flight ticket in the US cost $378, up 4.1% from 2021's inflation-adjusted $332.
The fare was down 6.2% from 2019's $403, despite the travel disruptions from 2020 to 2022 and the more recent surge in fuel prices and wider inflationary pressures across the US economy.
The average domestic air fare in Q4 2022 was $394, the DOT's BTS said, up 2.6% from an inflation-adjusted Q3 2022 fare of $384.
2022 saw 317.9 million "originating passengers" travelling on US airlines, up from 243.8 million in 2021 and 130.8 million in 2020, and down on the 331.3 million for 2019.
The number of passengers decreased from 83.5 million in Q3 2022 to 82.7 million passengers in Q4, but increased from 31.6 million passengers in Q4 2020.