Air fares up 11.8 percent: US index misses Swiss tickets
The BLS figure covers revenue that foreign airlines earn from US travellers. Anyone flying from Switzerland to the US cannot derive a flat surcharge for their own ticket from it.
The US price index for imported air passenger services stood 11.8 percent above its level a year earlier in September 2026. That is the figure reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The number is correct, but its obvious reading is not: it does not mean that all flights to the US, or all tickets for Swiss travellers, became more expensive by that amount.
The decisive difference lies in the word «import». From the perspective of the American balance of payments, it refers to a service that US residents buy from foreign airlines. The statistic therefore does not simply follow the destination on the flight schedule. It also classifies providers and customers.
Who pays and who flies is part of the definition
The BLS explains that the import and export indices measure price changes in international passenger traffic between US residents and foreign residents. To assign a flight, the statistic uses the point of departure. The assumption behind this is that most people begin their journey in their country of residence and buy their ticket there.
The export index takes the reverse perspective: it captures revenue that US airlines earn from foreign travellers. The BLS gives as an example a flight with a US airline from London to New York paid for by a foreign person. Even this example shows why a national border alone is not enough to determine the right index.
A Swiss household therefore cannot assign its own flight to the import index solely because of the destination New York, nor solely because of the ticket currency. A statistically well-defined market indicator is not automatically a representative basket for every other customer group.
Do not confuse the annual comparison with the monthly movement
Alongside the annual increase, the September release also reports a rise of 12.6 percent compared with August. Before that, the import air fare index had fallen in both July and August. The month-on-month comparison and the comparison with September 2025 therefore answer different questions. Both can be true at the same time.
The regional sub-indices also moved differently. For Europe, the BLS time series shows a year-on-year increase of 17.6 percent, while for Asia it shows a decline of 1.2 percent. An overall figure conceals these differences. It certainly does not predict how expensive a particular departure date, cabin or specific connecting itinerary will be.
An index also measures changes, not the concrete dollar price of a ticket. Without the price level of the offers being compared, a high annual increase therefore does not reveal which flight is cheaper in absolute terms.
The release describes price movements but does not provide a complete breakdown of causes for an individual ticket purchase. The figure alone therefore cannot be used to seriously derive what share fuel costs or demand have in a specific price increase. Such explanations require additional evidence.
What belongs in a Swiss price comparison
For travellers, the more sensible next step is to compare like with like. That includes the same travel dates, similar times of travel and the same scope of services. A cheap basic fare without the baggage you need is not economically equivalent to a more comprehensive fare. Rebooking options and refund conditions should also be checked before payment, not after.
With unavoidable surcharges, however, there is no free room for manoeuvre in how they are presented. The SECO explains that foreseeable taxes, fees and charges that cannot be freely chosen must be included in the ticket price. Voluntary additional services are to be distinguished from these. For offers aimed at Swiss customers, the explained rules on price disclosure apply.
FOCA (BAZL) explicitly names fuel, airport and security charges as components of the total price. In disputes over incomplete information, it recommends first requesting a detailed invoice from the seller. At the same time, the authority points out that it is not responsible for such pricing disputes.
The publication status is also part of the number. The BLS notes that the figures may be revised within three months of first publication. Anyone arguing with them later should therefore explicitly record which data version they are using.
A warning signal, not a personal cost calculation
The US figures are a useful indication of movement in international air traffic. But their value rises precisely when their limits remain visible. Anyone planning a travel budget should compare current offers with fully itemised prices and record their conditions. Your own booking becomes understandable through the appropriate final price – not through a flat 11.8 percent surcharge on last year's budget.
