Airline tickets will be more expensive for consumers at some airports this holiday season, in part due to inflation and rising fuel costs, delays and cancellations.
A new study from Smart Asset has found that two California airports, Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, rank among the top five places to experience the largest price increase for airline tickets. ‘plane.
To determine the ranking, SmartAsset researchers analyzed 100 of the busiest airports in the United States. For the study, an airport was considered “busy” based on its total number of domestic passengers in 2021.
Airports were compared on three metrics: average airfare costs in Q2 2022, year-over-year percentage change, and dollar change in average ticket costs. The data used in the study comes from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The study focused on price increases for domestic flights.
Fresno Yosemite International Airport ranked second on the list. The study found that the average price of airline tickets has increased by around $140, or 42%, since March 2021.
The average price of a plane ticket from Fresno would cost $474.
LAX ranked fourth on the list.
At LAX, the average ticket price increased by $133, or 42.22%, in just one year, on 15e the largest increase observed nationally. The study found that the average airfare from LAX would cost $448.
The airport is tied with Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) in Montana for fourth position, which saw a price increase of $134, or 43.27%. The average cost of a plane ticket at this airport would be $442.
The airport with the highest price increase was Pensacola International located in Florida.
Nationally, average domestic airfare prices increased from $328 to $397, or 21%.
Airports on the West Coast of California, Washington, Idaho and Arizona accounted for six of the top 10 airports to see the biggest increase.
The study also found that San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was the first airport to experience the largest percentage and dollar change from January 1 to March 31, 2022.
The airport saw an increase of $134, or 36.94%, in domestic airfares, which is well above the national average.
Myrtle Beach International Airport in South Carolina was the only airport to experience a drop in ticket prices during the study period.
With high ticket prices, some consumers may expect prices to drop, but experts said that’s unlikely.
“We normally expect prices to drop a bit over the winter months,” Roger Broussard, a commercial pilot, told Smart Asset. “But this year the power appears to be in the hands of the airlines, with demand expected to remain high and limited spaces to circulate meaning prices will remain high.”
Experts also recommended consumers seek out the best deals if they plan to travel during the holiday season.