Most Americans think flying has become more expensive over the past year

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2026 – A new Ipsos poll finds three in four Americans believe the cost of flying has gotten higher in the past year. Concerns also exist about airlines increasing the cost of flights and baggage fees, and these worries are more pronounced among those who have flown in the past two months.

In the wake of Spirit Airlines announcing it would shut down all operations, nearly half of Americans say the war in Iran played a major role in the company shutting down. Moreover, two-thirds are at least somewhat concerned that other airlines may go out of business.

Detailed Findings

1. Americans believe the cost of flying has gotten more expensive in the past year.

• Seventy-seven percent believe the cost of flying is higher compared to this time last year. One in five say it is about the same, while just 1% say it is lower.
• Among those who have flown in the past two months, 73% believe that the cost of flying is higher than a year ago.

2. Americans show concern about the increasing cost of flights and baggage fees.

• Fifty-six percent are extremely or very concerned about airlines increasing the cost of flights, and 50% say the same of airlines increasing baggage fees.
• Among those who have flown in the past two months, concern rises to 68% and 56%, respectively.
• More than two in five Americans say they are concerned about travel delays in airports (44%), and 36% show concern about airlines reducing the number of flights they offer.

3. Most Americans believe the current war in Iran had at least some impact on Spirit Airlines shutting down.

• Nearly half (46%) say the war had a major impact on Spirit Airlines shutting down, and 23% say it had a minor impact. Just 11% believe it had no impact, and 19% are unsure.
• Democrats (67%) and independents (50%) are more likely than Republicans (25%) to say the war has had a major impact on Spirit shutting down.
• In the same vein, one in three (33%) Americans are extremely or very concerned about more airlines going out of business, and 33% are somewhat concerned.

About the Study

This Ipsos poll was conducted May 8-10, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,023 general population adults aged 18 or older. The sample includes 177 Americans who have flown in or out of a U.S. airport in the past two months, and 823 adults who have flown in or out of a U.S. airport in their life.

The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a midyear adjustment estimated across aggregated KnowledgePanel surveys accounting for changes in panelists’ party identification over time. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).

• Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
• Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
• Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
• Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
• Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
• Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.07. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Amanda Price
Director, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

Johnny Sawyer
Senior Research Manager, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

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