Summer air travel expected to hit highest level in 6 years; 2.3M passengers to fly each day

More travelers will take to the skies this summer, the U.S. airlines' trade and lobby group predicts.

NEW YORK — More travelers will take to the skies this summer, the U.S. airlines’ trade and lobby group predicts.

About 210 million passengers — or 2.28 million a day — are expected to fly on U.S. carriers between June 1 and Aug. 31. That’s up 1.5 percent from last summer and the highest in six years, said trade and lobbying group Airlines for America.

The forecast includes 29.9 million travelers — 325,000 a day — flying U.S. airlines to international destinations, an all-time high. Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan are the top five nonstop international destinations based on published schedules.

Ten of the busiest 15 days of the year to fly fall within the three-month period, the group said.

Airlines for America does not forecast summer airfares. The average cost of a ticket last year was $381, up 0.1 percent from 2012.

Airlines typically charge more for tickets around holidays and other peak travel times, and industry watchers expect a slight rise this summer. Those fares do not include the price of checking luggage — typically $50 roundtrip — or any change fees. Airlines collected $3.35 billion in baggage fees last year and $2.81 billion in reservation-change fees.