Air fares in Atlanta decline, following national trend

If you got a good deal on the last flight you booked, you’re not alone.

Average Atlanta domestic air fares are down significantly, according to the latest federal data, thanks to low fuel costs and competition from low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines.

The average domestic air fare in Atlanta was $373.26 in the first quarter of this year, down about 12.2 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics this week.

For four quarters in a row, average domestic air fares in Atlanta have been in the $362 to $399 range. That’s down from the five quarters before that, when the averages were all more than $400.

Nationally, average air fares are also down. The average domestic air fare fell 7.8 percent to $361 in the first quarter of 2016. That was the lowest level since 2010 when adjusted for inflation.

The federal air fare report is based on fares for round-trip domestic flights, unless only a one-way trip was booked. One-way trips made up a third of fares calculated in the first quarter. The fares do not include baggage fees and other fees for optional services.

Travelers love low fares, but airline executives have been wringing their hands over how to stop the slide in their “unit revenue.” Delta reported a 4.9 percent decline in passenger unit revenue in its most recent quarterly financial results, and the airline has been struggling to get its unit revenue stabilized.