The cost of air travel is expected to fall this week, with leisure fares reaching an index low for the year.
Business fliers also will enjoy a slight break, with ticket prices down 7 percent since the beginning of November.The Dow Jones Leisure Fare Index declined 16.2 percent for week of Nov. 26 from the previous week. The Dow Jones Business Fare Index slipped 1.8 percent.
The indexes are intended to represent the costs of typical tickets for business or leisure air travel. They reflect the lowest available fares for mid-week departures on selected major routes. Business fares don't require a Saturday night stay; most leisure fares do.
Business fares remain higher than they were at the start of 1995, with the index up 16.8 percent so far this year. The leisure fare index is now down 2.2 percent.
The business fare index began the year at $655 and rose to $856 the week of June 25. The index stood at $779 last week before slipping to $765 this week. The leisure fare index began the year at $364 and peaked at $530 the week of June 25. Last week it stood at $425, falling to $356 this week.