Consider the costs. Airfares have gone up approximately 9 percent in the last year and are likely to continue a progression toward higher prices as fewer people spend the money to travel and certain flights are at far less than capacity. The problem is only partially due to the airlines themselves. Taxes and fees account for approximately 25 percent of the price of a ticket. Luckily, as taxes have increased over the last ten years (from 11 percent to 16 percent), airlines have been able to reduce certain fees so that passengers have been able to avoid feeling the pinch. However, that is all likely to change.

Current domestic travel taxes are $10.70 per segment plus an additional 7.5 percent of the fare price. There are currently several bills on the table that would raise the taxes and fees associated with travel another 12 percent in total for domestic travel, and 106 percent for non-US nationals travelling domestically. The huge spike for non-nationals is due to a bill that was just passed that assesses an extra $10 for non-US nationals that travel to the US and do not require a visa to do so. There are currently 35 countries in the world that do not need a visa to travel to the States, many of which are in Europe. The $10 is slated to go to a non-profit organization the federal government is creating to further US tourism. Non-nationals who are not required to have visas will also have to register online at least three days before travelling to the US and will have to renew that registration every two years.

You can save time and money by booking a nonstop (or fewer stops) flight whenever possible. Smart travelers may also decide to book flights to destinations specifically because of an affordable price.

Source:  Travelling this Year