Air Travelers Hit Hard by the 2026 Inflation Surge

US airline fares are up 25.5% year over year (July 2026 vs July 2025), the biggest jump in the CPI travel basket, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gasoline rose 24.6%. Meals, lodging and parking costs rose only 2.6-3.5%. Car rentals fell 3.9%. Source: Statista.