If it seems like cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages have been getting more plentiful, you are correct. Domestic ticket prices averaged $306 in the third quarter (July through September) of 2009, dropping over 14 percent.
This is the biggest decline compared to the prior year on record according to the Department of Transportations Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Mind you, this price comparison does not include all the ancillary fees that airlines are now charging, such as baggage fees.
Airline prices reached a record high in the third quarter of 2008 when an average domestic ticket price cost $358.
At the largest 100 U.S. airports, the highest third quarter average prices were in Huntsville, AL ($492), Grand Rapids, MI ($406), Savannah, GA ($396), Washington Dulles ($391) and Knoxville, TN ($388).
The cheapest prices could be found at Atlantic City, NJ ($165), Orlando ($225), Fort Lauderdale ($228), Dallas Love ($229) and Long Beach, CA ($229).