Midwest Cities See 30-40 Percent Spike in Airfare

A number of U.S. cities, particularly in the Midwest, are getting hit with the large airfare increases, according to a study by CheapAir.com.

Smaller destination cities are seeing steeper airfare increases than larger ones, such as Dayton, Ohio; Flint, Michigan; Des Moines, Iowa; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Cincinnati, Ohio, all saw airfare increases this year of more than 30%. Other cities in far reaches of the U.S., including Spokane, Washington, and West Palm Beach, Florida, also saw significant upticks in airline ticket prices, according to the study conducted in April and released May 23.

Dayton and Flint led the pack with consumers paying $109 and $103 more, respectively, for a plane ticket. The top three cities with the largest rise in airfare percentagewise are: Dayton, with a 42% increase; Greensboro, North Carolina,  and Flint, both seeing airfare prices rising by 38%.

The destinations seeing the lowest airfare rises this year are Manchester-Boston Regional, New Hampshire, (14%); Houston (15%); and San Juan, Puerto Rico (16%).

With an airport staffing and pilot shortage, a notable increase in Americans flying as the pandemic subsides, and gas and diesel prices up in lockstep with inflation, plane tickets are generally increasing across the board. Popular destinations to large cities, including New York and San Francisco, are being spared the steep double-digit increases in airfare.

Airline executives with American, United and JetBlue have said they plan to offset rising fuel costs by raising ticket prices, USA Today writes.

In another potential headache for summer travelers, Delta announced Thursday it will cut almost 100 flights daily from its summer schedule “to minimize disruptions and bounce back faster when challenges occur.”  This mirrors a similar announcement from JetBlue, whereby it announced it will cut 8% to 10% of its summer schedule due to “continued industry challenges.”

The airport is usually a stressful place on a normal travel day—but with higher airfares, rising fuel costs, and a trimmed back flight schedule, more frustration seems to be ahead for travelers in the summer of 2022.