FareCompare.com has released new year-over-year Thanksgiving pricing comparisons from proprietary data based on the analysis of 3.2 million airfares for 25 of the busiest domestic markets. Highlights include:
- Seventeen of the top 25 cities experienced a price decrease from 2016 to 2015
- The cities with the biggest price drops for Thanksgiving airfare were:
- Minneapolis/St. Paul: 15% less ($480 in 2016 vs $565 in 2015)
- Cleveland: 10% less ($474 in 2016 vs. $526 in 2015)
- Chicago: 9% less ($491 in 2016 vs. $540 in 2015)
- Boston: 9% less ($615 in 2016 vs. $673 in 2015)
- Indianapolis: 8% less ($462 in 2016 vs. $536 in 2015
- The cities with the biggest price increases for Thanksgiving were:
- Philadelphia: 11% more ($592 in 2016 vs. $575 in 2015)
- Houston: 6% more ($575 in 2016 vs. $544 in 2015)
- Orlando and Washington, D.C. saw no significant change
“Overall, this is good news for flyers in the U.S.,” said Rick Seaney, CEO and Co-Founder, FareCompare. “And it reinforces the notion that the four largest carriers in the U.S. continue to face stiff competition from a host of low cost carriers.”
The chart below breaks down the 25 cities included in the FareCompare Thanksgiving analysis. Fares were to domestic destinations and limited to nonstop and one-stop flights with a 60-90 advance purchase window departing the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving and returning Saturday or Sunday.
|
City |
2016 Average Price |
2015 Average Price |
Price Change in $
|
Price Change in %
|
|
Atlanta |
$439 |
$453 |
($14) |
-3% |
|
Boston |
$615 |
$673 |
($58) |
-9% |
|
Baltimore |
$539 |
$531 |
$7 |
+1% |
|
Chicago |
$491 |
$540 |
($48) |
-9% |
|
Cleveland |
$475 |
$527 |
($52) |
-10% |
|
Charlotte |
$490 |
$499 |
($9) |
-2% |
|
Denver |
$530 |
$535 |
($5) |
-1% |
|
Dallas/Fort- Worth |
$518 |
$497 |
$21 |
+4% |
|
Detroit |
$505 |
$521 |
($16) |
-3% |
|
Houston |
$575 |
$544 |
$32 |
+6% |
|
Indianapolis |
$492 |
$536 |
($44) |
-8% |
|
Las Vegas |
$487 |
$474 |
$13 |
+3% |
|
Los Angeles |
$644 |
$621 |
$23 |
+4% |
|
Miami |
$443 |
$427 |
$16 |
+4% |
|
Minneapolis/St. Paul |
$480 |
$565 |
($85) |
-15% |
|
New York |
$586 |
$624 |
($38) |
-6% |
|
Orlando |
$431 |
$430 |
$1 |
0% |
|
Portland |
$593 |
$613 |
($20) |
-3% |
|
Philadelphia |
$592 |
$535 |
$57 |
+11% |
|
Phoenix |
$499 |
$508 |
($10) |
-2% |
|
San Diego |
$615 |
$621 |
($7) |
-1% |
|
San Antonio |
$517 |
$530 |
($14) |
-3% |
|
Seattle |
$600 |
$614 |
($14) |
-2% |
|
San Francisco |
$668 |
$688 |
($20) |
-3% |
|
Washington, D.C. |
$541 |
$543 |
($2) |
0% |