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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