Flying has taken a slightly smaller bite out of Atlanta travelers’ budgets, according to a new federal report.

Average Atlanta air fares fell 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The quarterly report shows that the average domestic air fare in Atlanta was $361 in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from $378 in the same period of 2011.

When adjusted for inflation, it amounts to a 6.2 percent decline.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was one of the five airports with the largest decreases in air fares, behind some others with much bigger reductions.

Atlanta also had a lower average fare than the national average of $374 in the quarter. The national figure was up 1.5 percent from $368 a year earlier — but virtually unchanged on an inflation-adjusted basis.

The highest quarterly average air fare was in Huntsville, Ala. at $544. Average fares are based on both roundtrip and one-way purchases in each market.

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Postcard depicting the predecessor to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Candler Field, c. 1927. The city signed a lease with Asa Candler to open the airfield in 1925. (Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center)

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Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
(Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez