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LOS ANGELES >> The average U.S. airfare dropped to $377 last year, its lowest level since 2010 and down nearly 4 percent from 2014, according to government data released last week.
When adjusted for inflation, the average 2015 domestic airfare was down 3.8 percent from the 2014 price of $392, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
“This confirms what we have been saying: Air travel remains one of the best consumer bargains out there, as evidenced by the record number of people flying — 798.4 million people flew U.S. airlines in 2015,” said Vaughn Jennings, a spokesman for Airlines for America, a trade group for the nation’s airlines.
Industry experts attribute the continuing decline in airfares to a steep drop in fuel costs over the last year and competition from low-fare airlines. But the numbers don’t include the cost of additional passenger fees to check bags, board early or connect to onboard Wi-Fi and entertainment, among other things.
The average fare is calculated based on the total average purchase prices of a domestic trip, whether that is a round-trip ticket or a one-way ticket. It doesn’t include fares bought with frequent flier rewards.