Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Summer Airfare Rates are Actually Going Down

Locations in this article:  Amsterdam, Netherlands London, England

airplaneFor once, I have good news for air travelers. Summer airfare is going down…well, sort of.

The average cost of a round-trip domestic ticket is about $2 less than last summer. That’s not exactly a windfall, but at least the price is going down. Until now, it was rising year after year.

Even better, air tickets to Europe are down about $50, or 3 percent compared to the same time last year.

You can thank lower fuel prices and the additional seats on the planes for the savings.

Plus, because the Euro has weakened so much, it’s a good bargain if you travel there. Most Europeans are staying home.

Of course, it depends on where you’re going. Airfare to Europe is down overall, but certain cities—like London, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt—will cost more.

These figures come from a research group called A.R.C., which looked at 4.1 million summer airline tickets purchased this year and last.

My advice: if you haven’t booked your summer trips yet, start looking right now. There’s no benefit to waiting, and the deals are out there.

More good news for travelers this summer:

Keep reading for more travel tips.