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The most recent data are from the 1st Quarter of 2008.
This page presents two different measures of air fares. Both are computed using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Passenger Origin and Destination (O&D) Survey, a 10% sample of all airline tickets for U.S. carriers, excluding charter air travel.
The first measure is average fares, the basic standard used widely in the airline industry to calculate fares. The second measure is the Air Travel Price Index (ATPI), a statistical index that documents quarterly changes in airline prices since the first quarter of 1995. The index measures changes in airline ticket prices used on identical routings and identical classes of service on a quarter-by-quarter basis.
While the ATPI measures changes in fares, average fares measure the actual level of fares paid by passengers. Average fares take account of both the level of fares and the number of passengers purchasing fares at different levels. Average fares do not necessarily account for the level of service, as ATPI does.
Average fare calculations and the ATPI, while similar, measure air fares in two different ways and may produce different results. The varying results reflect trends in the airline industry that have resulted in more passengers using lower air fares even though fare levels continue to rise.
First, low-cost carriers, which generally offer lower fares, now carry more than 27 percent of all domestic enplaned passengers, up from about 14 percent in 1995. Second, the network carriers have changed some of their fare rules, such as the "Saturday Night Stay Rule", which has allowed more passengers to purchase lower fares. Third, use of the internet allows almost instant price comparisons that give the customer the opportunity for unprecedented low-fare shopping.
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