Transportation · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Airline fares Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Airline fares is up 26.5% from a year earlier. Ticket prices for air travel.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.
Airline fares: year-over-year inflation, 1998–2026
Percent change from the same month a year earlier, from the not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U index.
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Airline fares: annual averages
BLS annual-average index (the CPI file’s M13 rows, shown verbatim) and the year-over-year change in that average — the standard “annual inflation” figure.
| Year | Annual avg. index | Annual inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025* | 256.1 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 261.6 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 267.2 | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 283.1 | +30.2% |
| 2021 | 217.5 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 217.5 | -18.0% |
| 2019 | 265.4 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 264.9 | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 275.8 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 282.6 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 292.2 | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 307.7 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 312.7 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 304.9 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 304.0 | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 278.2 | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 258.0 | -8.5% |
| 2008 | 282.0 | +12.0% |
| 2007 | 251.7 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 247.3 | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 236.6 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 227.2 | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 231.3 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 231.6 | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 239.4 | 0.0% |
| 2000 | 239.4 | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 218.8 | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 205.3 | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 199.2 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Airline fares inflation — FAQ
What is the current Airline fares inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Airline fares is up 26.5% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved +0.2% in June 2026.
When was Airline fares inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2022, when the Airline fares index rose 30.2% over 2021.
Is Airline fares inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the Airline fares index is up 26.5% year over year, versus up 3.5% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). That is a faster increase than overall inflation (all items CPI-U).
Why is October 2025 missing from the Airline fares data?+
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.