Airfare priced at $100 in 1974 $746 in 2025

Airfare Inflation Calculator

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Prices for Airfare, 1974-2025 ($100)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for airline fares are 646% higher in 2025 versus 1974 (a $646 difference in value).

Between 1974 and 2025: Airfare experienced an average inflation rate of 4.02% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, airfare costing $100 in the year 1974 would cost $746 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.73% during this same period, inflation for airfare was higher.

In the year 1974: Pricing changed by 8.22%, which is significantly above the average yearly change for airfare during the 1974-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1974 (11.05%), inflation for airfare was lower.

Price Inflation for Airline fares since 1963

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 1980 (38.39%), 2022 (30.15%), and 1981 (25.87%).

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Buying power of $100.00 since 1974

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Airfare, over time, for $100 beginning in 1974. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
1974$100.008.22%
1975$108.988.98%
1976$118.088.34%
1977$124.815.70%
1978$130.634.67%
1979$141.017.94%
1980$195.1438.39%
1981$245.6225.87%
1982$270.7110.22%
1983$286.365.78%
1984$303.626.03%
1985$322.786.31%
1986$335.974.09%
1987$352.374.88%
1988$356.431.15%
1989$377.695.96%
1990$425.6712.70%
1991$445.224.59%
1992$445.400.04%
1993$512.7815.13%
1994$532.183.78%
1995$544.252.27%
1996$552.171.46%
1997$571.603.52%
1998$588.963.04%
1999$627.656.57%
2000$686.939.44%
2001$686.89-0.01%
2002$664.40-3.27%
2003$663.61-0.12%
2004$651.89-1.77%
2005$678.884.14%
2006$709.474.51%
2007$722.121.78%
2008$809.0912.04%
2009$740.15-8.52%
2010$798.157.84%
2011$872.299.29%
2012$874.940.30%
2013$897.202.54%
2014$882.85-1.60%
2015$838.44-5.03%
2016$810.69-3.31%
2017$791.25-2.40%
2018$760.06-3.94%
2019$761.470.19%
2020$624.17-18.03%
2021$624.170.00%
2022$812.3730.15%
2023$766.69-5.62%
2024$750.42-2.12%
2025$746.00-0.59%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.


Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Airline fares:

Year196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
CPI23.70023.66723.83323.82023.90024.44026.20028.26230.33131.14632.20834.85437.98541.15443.50045.53149.14668.01585.60894.35499.808105.823112.500117.100122.815124.231131.638148.362155.177155.238178.723185.485189.692192.454199.223205.277218.762239.423239.408231.569231.292227.208236.615247.277251.686281.998257.971278.186304.026304.950312.709307.708292.227282.557275.783264.909265.401217.546217.549283.143267.221261.550260.010

Adjust airfare prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2025 / CPI in 1974 * 1974 USD value = 2025 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Airline fares was 34.854 in the year 1974 and 260.010 in 2025:

260.010 / 34.854 * $100 = $746

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $100 in 1974 has the same "purchasing power" as $746 in 2025 (in the CPI category of Airline fares).


Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Airline fares in 1963. In addition to airfare, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.

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