Huntsville fares drop to 6th highest
May 03--Despite a slight rise in average fares, Huntsville International improved its fare-ranking nationally in a federal report issued this week.
Huntsville's average domestic fare in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $473.56, making it the sixth-highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The pennies matter, as they were what separated it from the fifth- and fourth-highest fares at Newark (N.J.) Liberty, and Washington Dulles.
Cincinnati had the highest fares, at $502. The only regional airport with higher fares than Huntsville was Memphis, at $484.
In the third quarter of 2011, Huntsville had the second-highest fares in the nation at $473.
Most regional competitors of Huntsville International had lower rates. Birmingham was ranked 35th in the nation, with average domestic fares of $388. Nashville fares were $353 -- $121 below Huntsville -- and it ranked 61st in the nation.
ERIC FLEISCHAUER
Copyright 2012 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.