Want to fly home to visit family during the holidays? It sure would be nice if it wasn’t so expensive. Roundtrip tickets from Long Beach to San Francisco might not be all that much, but fly from Los Angeles to New York and you’ll probably wind up paying several hundred dollars. Why is that?
According to a video by Wendover Productions, the cost of flying here in the U.S. isn’t because of the fuel needed to get to and from a destination, it’s the simple fact of operating an airplane that inflates the price. While planes get atrocious miles per gallon—most planes need around 1.5 gallons of jet fuel for every mile traveled—it’s actually a million different taxes and other costs that make flights so expensive.
Not only that, but money is needed to pay pilots, flight crews, airport fees, maintenance, and more, all contributing to ticket prices; they’re all reasons why flights across the country are often between $300-600 one way. It also depends on what time you fly, what day of the week, and if it’s around a busy holiday.
Check out the video if you’re curious about the cost of flying.
Source: WendoverProductions
