Originally Posted by
BearX220
International fares are more expensive today. I too flew PeoplExpress EWR-LGW a couple of times @ $298 RT, but also never paid more than $1,000 for a transatlantic ticket in economy on NW, TW, etc. $600-$800 was more like it. Today $1,000 is pretty much the floor price thanks to less competition, more fees, and higher taxes.
Your reference to timing of deregulation is helpful.
Of course the cheap intra-California (PSA) and intra-Texas (Southwest) fares weren't subject to federal CAB regulation to prop them up. If one wants to look for 'market' prices in the U.S. pre-1978, that's where to look.
Sorry, but intercontinental aircraft don't run on butterfly farts. What was the average price of oil in the days of those TWA tickets, btw?
The U.S. has Open Skies agreements with a lot of countries but flight frequencies on numerous important routes are still regulated or slot-constrained.