Domestic airfare is climbing while long-haul international fares fall, and the split is already changing where Americans fly, according to the third annual Unveiled report from online travel agency FlightHub.
The report, released this week, found U.S. domestic fares on FlightHub's platform rose 49.3% year over year. Short-haul and U.S.-Canada transborder routes also got more expensive, while long-haul international pricing moved in the opposite direction. Domestic trips lost 6.4 points of U.S. booking share as travelers looked abroad.
“This year, flying across the country simply got more expensive, while flying overseas often got cheaper,” FlightHub Ceo Henri Chelhot said in prepared remarks.
Tokyo was the most-booked outbound destination for U.S. travelers for a second straight year. San Juan, Puerto Rico, which FlightHub includes in its outbound ranking, rose two spots to No. 2 and was also the cheapest outbound option at an average of $253 per person. Santo Domingo made the biggest leap, from 36th to eighth, and led FlightHub's fastest-growing destinations with bookings up 161.8%, ahead of Santiago, Chile, at 146.4%.
FlightHub's top outbound destinations for U.S. travelers in 2026:
- Tokyo
- San Juan
- London
- Paris
- Mexico City
- Cancún
- Rome
- Santo Domingo
- Seoul
- Milan
At home, New York, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale held the top three domestic spots despite the higher fares. Washington, D.C., rose five spots into the top 10 on 65.8% growth, while Miami and the Bay Area each moved up two.
FlightHub's top U.S. domestic destinations of 2026:
- New York
- Orlando
- Fort Lauderdale
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
- Bay Area
- Seattle
- Miami
- Washington, D.C.
- Chicago
Major events moved bookings as well. Travel to the Milan and Venice region rose 243% around the Winter Olympics, and Kansas City posted a 165% increase, the largest of any North American FIFA World Cup host city.
U.S. search interest in Canada grew 16%, compared with 2% growth in Canadian searches for the U.S. Gen Z gained 4.2 points of U.S. booking share while Gen X and baby boomers lost ground.
For advisors coaching clients on timing, the average U.S. booking window lengthened 14% to 24 days. The 10% of travelers who booked more than three months out paid 23% to 30% less than others on similar trips. The old advice about booking on a Tuesday did not survive the data: Tuesday was the busiest booking day, but fares were essentially flat across the week.
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