As International Airfares Soar, Americans Stay in the U.S.

Oct. 4, 2008 — -- The days of flying to Europe for a long weekend are over for Diana Koziupa.

The Pennsylvania psychiatrist says she and her husband, Ken Swanson, flew to Europe three or four times a year but have stopped because of high airfares. They instead went to Oregon this summer on their first domestic vacation in years and are considering other trips stateside.

"Coach airfares for international flights are over the top," says the frequent traveler, who lives in Perkasie, Pa., about an hour's drive from Philadelphia. "Europe is totally out of the question for leisure and a remote possibility for business."

Travelers feel the pain of high domestic airfares, which rose this summer more than any year in the past quarter century. Meanwhile, many international tickets have risen to levels too steep for the budgets of many American vacationers and companies. That's translating into softer demand.

Growth of international passenger traffic worldwide slowed to a five-year low in July and dropped further in August, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents 230 airlines. Passenger growth on North American airlines' international routes dropped to 4.2 percent in July and 5.2 percent in August, compared with 8.2 percent in May.

The cheapest round-trip coach ticket this fall -- an off-peak travel time -- costs more than $1,000 on 40percent of the 50 most-traveled international routes and more than $900 on half the routes, according to a study by FareCompare.com at USA TODAY's request. The study included U.S. and foreign airlines.

Many travelers pay more than those fares, which require a Saturday-night stay abroad and are available for a limited number of seats. Without a Saturday-night stay, fares on more than a third of the most-traveled routes can be at least 50percent more expensive.

For example, for a trip between Chicago and Frankfurt, Germany -- leaving Sept. 29 and returning Oct. 6 -- the cheapest round-trip coach ticket with a Saturday-night stay was $669 on Air India when FareCompare.com checked last month. Without a weekend stay, departing the same day and returning Oct. 3, the cheapest coach ticket was $2,021, or 202 percent more, on United, American and Lufthansa.