Seattle, Spokane Airports See Big Increase In Airfare Costs: Report

SEATTLE — Travelers on both sides of the Cascades are feeling the pinch of higher airfare more than many other parts of the country: Both airports saw some of the nation's largest surges in ticket prices during the second quarter of this year, according to a new report.

SmartAsset looked at America's busiest 100 airports heading into the holiday travel season and found the Seattle and Spokane airports among the top 10 for growth in average ticket prices between the second quarter of 2021 and 2022 — the most recently available data.

Researchers found the Seattle-Tacoma International airport had the third-highest increase for one-way and round-trip domestic flights, surging almost 50 percent to $437. Spokane International Airport averaged $438, increasing by roughly $129 over the year.

Average airfare increased by 21 percent nationally, and just one of the 100 airports studied saw prices go down: Myrtle Beach International Airport. Average ticket prices averaged $397 across the country in the second quarter of 2022, making for the highest prices since 2014.

While flights typically see seasonal price fluctuations, experts say this year may be different.

"We'd normally expect prices to drop off a little over the winter months," said Roger Broussard, a pilot and founder of Pilot School Hero. "But this year the power looks to be in the hands of the airlines, with demand looking set to stay sky high and limited spaces to go around meaning prices will stay high."

Here are the 10 airports where airfare increased the most from Q2 2021-2022: