{"id":251391,"date":"2026-07-11T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/airline-ticket-prices-unlikely-to-drop-delta-ceo-says-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T10:00:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:00:06","slug":"airline-ticket-prices-unlikely-to-drop-delta-ceo-says-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/airline-ticket-prices-unlikely-to-drop-delta-ceo-says-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Airline ticket prices unlikely to drop, Delta CEO says – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Think airfare has gotten more expensive? Well, that’s nothing compared to things like groceries, clothes or car insurance prices.<\/p>\n

That was essentially the message on Friday from Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian when asked about the increase in flight prices passengers have faced this year amid the war in Iran.<\/p>\n

And it probably doesn’t bode well for finding cheap flights in the coming months.<\/p>\n

“If people are having concern with respect to airfares, they have much higher concerns with respect to other products,” Bastian said Friday during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box. <\/a><\/span>“Airfares are up but airfares continue to be a tremendous bargain.”<\/p>\n

We’ve heard numerous airline industry insiders make this argument in recent months, as carriers have hiked ticket prices<\/a><\/span> to offset a rapid surge in jet fuel costs.<\/p>\n

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Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian speaks at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2025. SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Airlines: Ticket price hikes were overdue<\/h3>\n

Airline ticket prices haven’t increased as fast as other parts of the economy hit by stubborn inflation since 2022.<\/p>\n

In fact, if you adjust for inflation, the average $329 fare reported by the Federal Reserve in May was about 23% cheaper than what flyers paid a decade earlier.<\/p>\n

Ask an airline executive \u2014 or a Wall Street analyst \u2014 and that’s proof an airfare spike needed to happen as carriers themselves have faced rising costs.<\/p>\n

“The industry has no other choice,” Delta chief commercial officer Joe Esposito said on the company’s earnings call Friday, while offering little hope for flyers hoping price cuts are around the corner: “A lot of confidence,” Esposito added, “in the fact that we’re going to hold on to the pricing environment.”<\/p>\n

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That’s certainly not welcome news for travelers looking to book flights for the tail end of summer \u2014 or eyeing what it might cost to fly later this year for Thanksgiving or Christmas.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong> The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare in 2026<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How expensive is airfare right now?<\/h2>\n

As of Saturday, a typical domestic flight booked between three and five weeks ahead of time was 20% more expensive than it was this time last year. That’s according to numbers from our partners at Points Path.<\/p>\n

The outlook wasn’t much better for international flights, which in August were running 15% pricier than 2025.<\/p>\n

Oil prices down, airfare still up<\/h3>\n

The higher fares are especially frustrating for travelers as oil prices have fallen \u2014 something most of us have already felt at the gas pump.<\/p>\n

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JOSE A. BERNAT BACETE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AAA on Friday reported<\/a><\/span> the national average for a gallon of gas sat at $3.82, down from a peak of $4.56 in late May.<\/p>\n

Read more: TPG’s tips on how to save on gas<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Late-summer silver lining<\/h3>\n

The one silver lining? While August fares are more expensive than last year, they’re cheaper than they were a few weeks ago. Domestic ticket prices have dropped about 5% since the peak in mid-May.<\/p>\n

Plus, we’ve seen several carriers sprinkle in late-summer and early-fall award deals.<\/p>\n

For instance, I just booked a Labor Day weekend flight from the U.S. to Naples, Italy for 21,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles<\/a><\/span>, one-way. That’s the best transatlantic AA mileage deal I’ve gotten in a few years.<\/p>\n

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SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to find cheap flights in 2026<\/h2>\n

Best bets to score a late-summer deal?<\/p>\n