As airfares climb..

Since we are seeing airfares climb again I found it interesting when I stumbled online at this old American Airlines timetable from January 1979. In those days, fares were published right on the timetable as they really did not fluctuate as they do now.The fares were set and approved by the federal government and ensured that the airline would be profitable. (this was only a few months after airline deregulation was signed into law and it might not have gone into effect yet)

AA012079p38

The time table lists AA's flight from JFK to SDQ Flight number 587 (that flight number was used for years until the November 2001 crash)
Leaves JFK 8am Arrives SDQ 12:29pm
Equipment 747
Service Meal, Cocktail service
Fare (each way)
First $237.00
Business Class $199.00
Coach $159.00

So, a coach ticket was $159 each way in 1979! Adjusted for inflation that would be the the equivalent of paying $471 each way in 2010

Just looked at AA.com for fares in June JFK-SDQ. The cheapest fare class is showing at $144 each way.


So, even as fuel prices climb and prices go higher and higher, lets not forget that adjusted for inflation we are still only paying a fraction of what our parents and grandparents would have paid for the same trip.

Uglystorm said:

Interesting analysis, we should also take in consideration back then there was no competition, perhaps PanAm? Eastern? or Dominicana Not sure if they had direct flights to the DR as American did back then.

Click to expand...

I think it was just AA and Dominicana in those days as far as nonstop flights from New York. Continental began service from Newark in the 1980's