NEW YORK » After years of steadily-rising airfare, travelers this summer can expect a tiny bit of relief — a really tiny bit.

The average roundtrip domestic ticket this summer now stands at $454, down $2 from last summer. Vacationers to Europe will fare better, with tickets down about $50, or 3 percent, to $1,619.

Not everybody will get to save.

Flights to Hawaii, Florida and New Orleans are cheaper, but travelers to New York, Denver and San Francisco will pay more, according to a report released Monday by the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and travel agencies.

Average prices are lower because airlines are saving billions of dollars thanks to lower fuel prices and because more seats have been crammed into planes, spreading out costs over more passengers.