Airfares grow by 4.8% in first three months of 2012, report shows

Airfares are soaring to record levels.

The average domestic airline ticket rose to $373 in the first three months of the year, up 4.8% compared with the same period in 2011, according to a report Thursday by the Department of Transportation.

Not adjusted for inflation, the average of $373 marks the highest fare for any quarter since the federal agency began keep track of such data in 1995. The previous high was $370 in the second quarter of 2011, according to the federal agency.

But when adjusted for inflation, the average airfare for the first quarter of 2012 is down nearly 20% from the record high of $304 in the first quarter of 1999.

Since the federal government began reporting average airfares, the cost of air travel has increased 25.6%, compared with a 51.5% inflation rate, according to the report.

But the fares reported in the Department of Transportation study did not include extra fees charged to passengers to check bags, upgrade to roomier seats, buy food or get access to wireless Internet, among other charges. Such fees have grown steadily since 2008.

In 2011, extra passenger fees generated $22.6 billion for 50 of the world’s largest airlines, a 5% increase compared with $21.46 billion in revenue from 47 airlines in 2010, according to the study by Wisconsin-based IdeaWorksCompany, a consultant on airline revenues, and Amadeus, a travel technology firm based in Madrid.

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