US Airfares Seen Bottoming as Overseas Ticket Prices Stay High

Lower domestic airfares that travelers have enjoyed this summer will start to disappear after mid-September, with a new report predicting higher prices through the winter holidays.

US round-trip tickets cost about $257 on average, below both last year and the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, according to a consumer-travel index released Tuesday by booking app Hopper Inc. Fares are expected to climb about 10% to $283 in November and December as the slide that has punished some domestic airlines reverses.