Travelers who want the most bang for their vacation buck before summer ends will be pleasantly surprised to find that the cost to fly in the U.S. is now 10% lower than pre-pand🍷emic prices, according to new consumer price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Air T🍷ravel Demand Up 12% Amid Decline in Fuel Prices

June marked the beginning of the busy summer travel season, with air travel demand up 12% from the same time last year. U.S. airports saw 2.56 million passengers pass through checkpoints in June, the busiest month since July 2019. Daily passenger volumes of more than 2 million were common prior to the pandemic, but daily passenger throughput reached a low of 100,000 in April 2020 before gradually rising again.

Earlier this year, jet fuel shortages resulted in higher operating costs and airfares. Compared with last year, however, airlines are facing relatively lower fuel prices in 2023, alleviating some of the pressure on operating costs. According to Aviation Research Group, U.S. jet fuel prices declined in June by an average of 13 cents per gallon from May.

Tempting Consumers With Lower Prices

Because many airlines sell tickets based o♛n expectations that fuel prices will be lower, the resul🌌t is lower airfares.

Airlines reduced prices to atone for overpriced domestic travel last summer, which caused consumers to shy away from traveling within the U.S. and look abroad instead. This has led to increased competition between airlines, which are aiming to tem🦩pt travelers to vacation domestically with lower ticket prices.

But don’t expect low prices to go on indefinitely. Prices are expected to remain low through mid-September but then climb again just in time for holiday travel. If you🦋 plan to visit Grandma for Thanksgiving, consider booking early.