Flights from France cost 4.5% more than a year ago, a record rise

Planning a trip from France? Your ticket will probably cost more than it did last year. According to the Digitrips barometer for L'Écho touristique (a French travel trade publication), October saw the biggest year-on-year fare rise since the indicator was created.

What happened?

Across all destinations, round-trip economy fares including taxes rose 4.5% over twelve months. Domestic flights climbed the most: +12.8%, to an average of 271 euros. Medium-haul flights rose 4.42% to 310 euros, and long-haul ones 4.44% to 724 euros.

Some international routes jumped by double digits. The United States is up 13% (848 euros), Canada 17% (833 euros) and Côte d'Ivoire 28% (884 euros). Japan is up 17% too.

Not everything is getting pricier. Among the 20 best-selling countries, six got cheaper, including Morocco and Tunisia (-8%), Cape Verde (-18%) and Vietnam (-5%). The barometer is based on 91,164 round-trip economy tickets booked through Digitrips in October.

Why are tickets getting pricier?

The price of jet fuel has doubled in a year. That leaves airlines with two options: fly fewer routes, charge more, or both.

Air France-KLM said in late July that its 2026 fuel bill would hit 8.9 billion dollars, about 2 billion more than the year before. It has already raised the carrier surcharge added to tickets. Lufthansa expects its own fares to rise by "double digits", as the conflict in the Middle East keeps fuel costs high.

Official figures point the same way, though they measure things differently. The DGAC (France's civil aviation authority) reported that tickets from France were 10.6% more expensive in September than a year earlier. International routes rose 12.1%, with North America at +14.2% and Latin America at +14%. Domestic flights were up 3.7%.

What's next?

Don't expect a quick reversal. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary warned that Europe will see "the biggest airfare increase in its history" over the next 12 months. He predicts rises of 10 to 20% across Europe in 2027.

If you have a trip in mind, especially to North America or Japan, checking prices sooner rather than later might save you a few euros.