## Air Miles Are Not What They Once Were (Unless You Travel with American)
**Main Conclusions:**
* A fresh analysis indicates that the average price of internal economy bonus flights on six significant US air carriers has surpassed rising prices by almost 12% from the time of the widespread disease. That hurts!
* The worth you obtain per dollar used on base tickets (also called “bonus return”) has decreased by approximately 50% over the past six years, according to IdeaWorksCompany.
* The positive aspect? American Airlines is resisting the pattern! Using points for internal economy flights on American will require you about 18,690 points, which is actually *21% lower* than in 2019. Chainlink (LINK) Big Investors Go Wild, Action Soars by 1700%!
Thus, except if you are devoted to American Airlines, those hardly earned points are getting you less than they formerly did.
A fresh report from IdeaWorksCompany reveals that the average cost of internal bonus flights in economy has been rising rapidly from the time of the widespread disease – with American Airlines being the significant exception.
Their investigation examined the most well-known basic bonus types provided by American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, and JetBlue. They found that the “bonus return” (how much worth you obtain for each dollar used on the base ticket) has been reduced by 50% between 2019 and 2025. (The company made hundreds of searches in February 2025, examining similar bonus flights varying from 251 to 2,500 miles during June to October of this year.)
The report emphasizes some very significant increases in the average price of internal economy bonus flights over the past six years. For instance, at Southwest, what averaged 7,367 points in 2019 now needs an enormous 18,673 points – that’s a rise of over 150%! Delta (26%), JetBlue (25%), and Alaska (23%) also experienced considerable increases. United’s rise was a more humble 9%.
Nevertheless, some exceptions exist. A current analysis reveals that you simply require 18,690 miles for a home financial system seat, which is 21% decrease than in 2019 (23,700 miles). Gary Leff, who operates the journey web site View From the Wing, mentions that American Airways employs a versatile pricing construction, so ample inexpensive financial system seats can be found domestically.
