Cost of flying up 4th straight year

The cost of commercial airline tickets for American passengers has risen by more than $7 in 2013 – averaging $363.42. It is the fourth year in a round passengers have been hit with higher prices; and a 12 percent rise since 2009, according to an analysis of fare data from the Airlines Reporting Corp. Prices have risen despite airlines cutting unprofitable routes and mergers, giving flying-customers fewer options. The world’s largest air carrier, American Airlines, will halt year-round, daily non-stop service from Washington’s Reagan National Airport to 17 cities including to the Gulf Coast’s Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, both in NW Florida. The American Airlines Group announcement was the result of a Department of Justice mandate to settle an antitrust lawsuit allowing the merger of American with US Airways. Source: The Associated Press, Jan. 16, 2014, and Washington Business Journal, Jan. 16, 2014.