Report: Charleston air fares soaring
By John McDermott
It appears that Southwest Airlines can’t get here fast enough for local travelers.
Newly released figures from the government show that Charleston International Airport posted the biggest hike in airfares between the first quarters of 2009 and 2010, reflecting the departure of low-fare carrier AirTran last December.
The average ticket jumped 16.1 percent year over year to $443, the U.S. Department of Transportation said in a report issued Wednesday.
Both figures are well above the national average: The average U.S. domestic fare in the first three months of this 2010 rose to $328, a nearly 5 percent increase, according data compiled by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The government’s numbers include the ticket price as well as taxes and security fees. They don’t include other costs such as luggage surcharges that most carriers have adopted.
Local officials hope the arrival of low-fare kingpin Southwest will bring fares back down. The Dallas-based carrier plans to inaugurate service at Charleston International next year but it has not released more specific details.
See Friday’s editions of The Post and Courier for more on this story.
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