Average Atlanta air fares in the second quarter of 2015 dipped below $400 for the first time since 2013, according to a new federal report.
The report from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics showed the average domestic Atlanta air fares fell to $399.67, down from $425.27 earlier in the year, adjusted for inflation. The figures released Friday were for the second quarter, the most recent data available.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Compared to a year earlier, the second quarter average domestic air fare was down about 8 percent from $435.34 in the second quarter of 2014, according to the federal statistics.
The drop in air fares came amid a significant decline in fuel costs.
Meanwhile, ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have added flights in Atlanta and other parts of the country in the past year, adding to the competition against larger legacy carriers like Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.
Nationally, the average air fare fell to $385 in the second quarter of 2015, down 2.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Now, however, airlines are trying to increase fares again.
Delta led an air fare increase this week, raising fares $6 round trip. The move was followed by Southwest and other airlines. It was the first time since last June the airlines have succeeded in implementing a broad fare increase.
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