Westchester County Airport Had Largest Airfare Increase Nationwide

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — If you are beginning to feel like Westchester air travelers have been bearing the brunt of rising airfares, a new study finds you might be on to something.

The price of jet fuel has increased by about 110 percent between the first quarters of 2021 and 2022 as passengers returned to flying, after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have eased up. Now, some of that increase in costs is being passed on to consumers.

Using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, financial planning website SmartAsset recently ranked the nation's 100 busiest airports that have seen the largest increases in airfare compared to the same time last year. The three metrics that the website looked at were average airfare costs for the first quarter of 2022, the one-year percentage change and dollar amount change in the average airfare.

SmartAsset found that airfares increased nationwide by about 26 percent between the first quarters of 2021 and 2022, with an average price increase of $328. Across 23 airports, the average flight ticket cost grew by more than 30 percent. With the average American taking nearly four air trips per year, that quickly adds up.

Westchester County Airport has the dubious distinction of seeing the highest overall increase in airfare, according to the study. In the first quarter of 2022, Westchester County Airport had the 10th highest average airfare of $380, which amounted to a 45.5 percent increase ($119) over the same time period in 2021.

Here are the 10 airports where airfare has increased the most:

1. Westchester County Airport, New York: $119 increase
2. Charlotte Douglas International, North Carolina: $102 increase
3. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International, Minnesota: $102 increase
4. McGhee Tyson Airport, Tennessee: $102 increase
5. Logan International, Massachusetts: $96 increase
6. Philadelphia International, Pennsylvania: $96 increase
7. Spokane International, Washington: $90 increase
8. Palm Springs International, California: $89 increase
9. Washington Dulles International, Washington, D.C.: $92 increase
10. Newark Liberty International, New Jersey: $93 increase

Other key findings of the study were:

• Two airports experienced an increase in the average flight price of over 40 percent: Westchester County Airport (HPN) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).
• Average airfare is less than $200 in just two airports: Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) with airfares of $132 and $130, respectively.
• Highest fares were found in Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) with an average airfare of $456, Dane County Regional-Truax Field Airport (MSN) with an average airfare of $436 and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with an average airfare of $418.

"Traveler demand is contributing to the higher prices we're seeing right now, but fuel prices and staffing shortages are still the real culprits," Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, told Smartasset. "Fuel costs are up to 30% of operational costs for the airlines, so until those prices start to level out, airfare will remain on the higher end. However, we reported recently that larger markets are seeing smaller spikes in domestic airfare prices. So, if you live in one of those larger cities - you might see less of a sticker shock than someone from a smaller city."

While some of the price changes between 2021 and 2022 may appear drastic, some of those changes are due to the fact that airfare was overall cheaper during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current costs of airfare are lower than they were in the years before 2020, according to SmartAsset.

Nextstar Media Group/Newsnation noted that airfares have been declining lately: after a 2 percent dip in June, federal data shows the average price per ticket dropped 7.8 percent in July. The website also noted that lower prices for gasoline and travel were major reasons that overall inflation slowed a bit in July, while consumer prices were still up 8.5 percent from last year.

According to Newsnation, prices usually fall in late summer and early fall as vacations end and kids go back to school. However, the drop is expected to be more drastic this year, due to summer prices having been so high and the cost of jet fuel dropping by about 25 percent since late April.