The Street
If you recently tried to book a flight with points or frequent-flyer miles, you might have noticed that not only cash prices have jumped significantly. The “they want how much for that flight?” feeling is confirmed by data — IdeaWorksCompany, a consulting firm analyzing airline revenue, calculated that the average price of a plane ticket purchased with miles rose by 28% between 2019 and 2024, or 7% more than the 21% inflation of the U.S. Consumer Price Index during the same time period. “Mileage/point prices have climbed 28% overall since the last survey five years ago,” write the study’s authors. “[…] The primary reason is the larger flow of miles/points from co-branded credit card accrual, which created more demand and prompted airlines to increase reward prices.”