All The Major Airlines Have Raised Coast To Coast Airfares By $190 Roundtrip In Four Months

Travelers facing such high cost airfares should seek alternative, cheaper routes. In some cases, they may have to depart and arrive from two nearby airports in order to save a bundle. For example, travelers wishing to fly between Newark, New Jersey and Fresno, California will find that the cheapest, 21-day advance purchase airfare for peak summer travel is as high as $880 roundtrip. If they departed out of LaGuardia to San Jose, they would pay only $278 roundtrip. If they fly out of Philadelphia versus Newark, only 75 miles away, to San Jose, they could find airfares as low as $178 roundtrip.

They would fly about the same number of air miles, but a little inconvenience could save a family of four as much as $3,000 roundtrip. "That's a lot of precious, pretty pennies," states Parsons.

Did you know that some of the lowest leisure airfares from select non-competitive cities are as high as $900 or more? For example, the cheapest excursion airfare between Cleveland and Key West is $936 roundtrip traveling 2,166 total air miles. Fly to Miami instead and pay only $208 roundtrip. See chart below for more examples.

Sample airfares are listed below.

These are just a few examples of using alternate airports. "There are other strategies for you to consider when trying to get your best airfare deal. If your home or destination city doesn't offer reasonable driving alternatives, consider buying a ticket to the nearest hub city, especially one served by a low-cost carrier. Even adding the cost of that ticket to the much cheaper airfare to your final destination, offered by a low-cost carrier, can save you hundreds of dollars. And for a family of four that can be thousands of dollars," suggests Parsons.

"These airfare hikes have increased domestic coast-to-coast travel to where it's cheaper to fly to Europe! It seems that the major airlines no longer see the domestic air traveler as their 'bread-and-butter' customers... now they see them as the 'icing on the cake' too," adds Parsons.

To see the chronology of the thirteen, yes count 'em - thirteen, attempted airfare and fuel surcharge increases click here.

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