Why airfare so expensive 2017

Because flying is cheap, many more people fly today in larger planes with more seats onboard. Air travel has evolved from the privilege of a few into a service for many. And it has grown in staggering numbers. In , airlines carried 1. By , that number had grown to 2. By , airlines had served 3. Security risks are greater and security lines are longer.

Deregulated, democratized, affordable air travel is very different from the glamorous air travel of those far-gone days, but at least more of us get the pleasure of complaining about it. In , the cost of jet fuel skyrocketed. In order to combat the price hike, airlines started charging more, adding extra fees, and cutting some of the luxuries associated with flying, like free meals and complimentary alcohol and snacks.

At the beginning of this decade, we were still feeling the effects of these high fuel costs, and the no-frills way of flying was on the rise.

Today, fuel prices have gone back down, and so have ticket prices. Some luxuries, like free meals on long flights, are being reintroduced — but many of the extra fees appear to be sticking around. So, with a lower sticker price but more extra fees, how much does a trip across the US cost today versus 10 years ago?

Here are some facts to help shed some light on the subject. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Source: Fare Compare. Source: CNN. Source: The Points Guy. Source: Travel and Leisure. Source: FareCompare.

For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. The thing is, not everybody turns up to every flight. On average, the number of people not turning up to flights is around 5 percent, but, in certain circumstances, that number can be up to 15 percent. Obviously, that puts airlines in an interesting position.

Sometimes too many people turn up to a flight. Last year, 46, travelers were involuntarily bumped from flights. The thing is, when you book a flight, you book a plane ticket from, say, New York to San Francisco. You do usually choose which plane you want to get on. You are buying a journey from one city to another. If you are coming in from London and you miss your connection in New York, for example, the airline will usually re-book you onto a different flight without extra charge.