Travelers in Atlanta got a respite from rising air fares even as the cost of flying increased around the nation, according to federal statistics for the second quarter of the year.
Average domestic round trip air fares in Atlanta fell to $367 in the second quarter, down 2.5 percent from $376 a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That made Atlanta one of the five cities with the largest fare decreases in the nation. The decline followed two straight quarters of record Atlanta fares.
Nationally, average domestic fares increased 4.1 percent to $385 in the second quarter. That’s an all-time high, though when adjusted for inflation, it’s still significantly lower than average fares in 1999.
The second quarter was the first full quarter of Southwest Airlines operations in Atlanta. Dallas-based Southwest launched its first flights in Atlanta on Feb. 12. It acquired AirTran Airways and is gradually integrating AirTran operations into its own over the next couple of years.
Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president of network planning, revenue management and marketing, said recently that Southwest and AirTran have “put some very aggressive sale fares out there.
Southwest said as it introduces its service in Atlanta, “all passengers benefit.”
But Southwest is also cutting some flights in Atlanta, which could alter the dynamic for routes that lose service flown by AirTran.
