As Airfares Take Off, More Cars Choke The Highways

There’s bad news for travelers and the climate in the latest policy brief from DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

First the bad news: the pandemic discount on airline and Amtrak tickets has evaporated. Now more bad news: people are avoiding the smoky skies by choking the highways with private cars.

“Air and rail fares purchased three days in advance have risen sharply since late January, increasing by more $40 on one-way trips,” according to the report, titled Spring Surprise. “These changes are pushing more travelers onto the highways, primarily in private cars, but also onto intercity buses.”

If there’s good news in the report, for both travelers and the climate, it’s that those intercity bus fares continue to fall in price, which gives climate-conscious travelers a cheap and somewhat cleaner alternative to the…