|
US domestic fares up - not counting ancillaries |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 29 July 2010 |
|
US domestic airfares jumped 4.7 per cent to an average US$328.12 in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2009.
It was the first year-over-year increase since late 2008.
However, they are still US$20 below their high for a first quarter, set in 2001, the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) says.
The 2010 three-month average also was below 1999's first quarter when airfares averaged US$331.74.
The US's Air Transport Association trade group's president and chief executive James May said: "Increasing fare levels should be kept in perspective. Not only are the airlines nowhere near recovering from devastating losses, airfares have not come close to keeping pace with inflation."
The BTS numbers do not include ancillary charges paid by passengers.
|
