Bing: Cheap Flights Getting Even Cheaper

The travel website credited economic pressures with the fall in prices, noting that carriers have been slashing fares in a bid fill planes and keep routes open.

Bing looked at domestic US flights over the Christmas and New Year's period, comparing prices advertised for the forthcoming season with the previous two years.

It discovered that airfares have plummeted by 17 per cent over the past year, and with prices still 8 per cent above the levels seen in 2007 further falls are expected.

"In last year’s holiday travel forecast I talked about the 'perfect storm' of record-high oil prices, fuel surcharges and very high airfare," said Bing Travel Fareologist Joel Grus.

"Oh, how quickly things change! As the economy fell into recession last fall, fares came down dramatically and have remained low through 2009. Airlines have cut capacity to the point that we will see pretty full planes, but ... fares are still depressed."

Bing's findings are supported by other reports on this side of the Atlantic, with Virgin recently describing the airfare crash as a "bonanza for consumers".

Article is taken from CheapFlights.co.uk