And while airfares on average are still lower than they were in 1995, once adjusted for inflation, they have been steadily rising since 2008.
But antitrust officials said on Tuesday that despite the cost savings for the carriers from consolidation, domestic airfares, on average, had increased much faster than inflation over the last several years, prompting the department to revise its thinking about what was best for the consumer.
One thing's for certain: Thanks to airline consolidation and the elimination of thousands of seats, current airfares this year on average are higher than they were last year.
"January historically is the cheapest month to fly for both domestic and international destinations, with domestic airfare 31percentt lower on average than peak summertime booking prices," Hipmunk said in its "When to Go 2019" report.
On average, airfare prices to Honolulu are up $304 for two people traveling Christmas week, according to Farecast.com, which tracks hotel and airline prices, but hotel rates are down by $294, helping to even out the total trip cost.
On average, airfares are significantly cheaper now than for those who bought tickets this summer, or even a few weeks ago.
Data on average roundtrip airfare came from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
HOW TO GET THERE A wide range of flight options helps keep airfares to this island lower on average than to some of its smaller Caribbean counterparts.
According to Kayak, on average the cheapest airfare for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's are found between September and mid-October.
Well, if you find yourself pining for a little holiday this year, or are feeling desperate to break out from the urban fray of Manhattan, then be sure to check out this list of the 10 cheapest flights out of JFK, on average, from the airfare research team at Hopper.
