Import air passenger fares up 2.1 percent, export fares down 7.5 percent, July 2012–July 2013

Import air passenger fares fell 3.9 percent in July, after jumping 10.7 percent in June. The decrease in July was driven by a downturn in European fares, down 8.0 percent for the month. Despite the July decline, import air passenger fares advanced 2.1 percent over the past 12 months. The price index for import air freight advanced 0.3 percent in July, while decreasing 2.1 percent over the past year.

This is an interactive chart; hover over bars to see values.

From July 2012 to July 2013, the price index for inbound air freight from Europe was up 2.5 percent, while the same index for Asia declined 1.5 percent. During the same period, the price index for outbound air freight to Europe was down 1.9 percent, while the same index for Asia increased by 1.2 percent.

Import air passenger fares from Europe were up over the year (6.4 percent), while fares from Asia and Latin America/Caribbean were down (-0.2 percent each).

Export air passenger fares overall fell 7.5 percent over the past year. Export air passenger fares to Latin American/Caribbean and Asia both decreased over the year, by 19.4 percent and 11.2 percent, respectively. 

The Import Air Passenger Fares Indexes represent changes in the average revenue per passenger received by foreign carriers from U.S. residents and are calculated from data obtained from an airline consulting service. The Export Air Passenger Fares Indexes represent changes in the average revenue per passenger received by U.S. carriers from foreign residents and are calculated from data collected directly from airlines. Taxes and fees are included in the Import Air Passenger Fares Index and excluded from the Export Air Passenger Fares Index.

These data are from the International Price program. Import and export price data are subject to revision. To learn more, see “U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — July 2013” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑13‑1624.