Prices dropped in Europe when air travel was deregulated in Europe. Right now, it is illegal for any non-US airline to operate any domestic stop within the US,

Prices dropped in Europe when air travel was deregulated in Europe. Right now, it is illegal for any non-US airline to operate any domestic stop within the US, so competition is much harder to come by (whereas in Europe, discount airlines can open freely). Add this to the fact that the US is big and doesn't have tons of hubs like Europe, and it makes sense that travel is so expensive. Fortunately, us US folk can get frequent flyer miles easily (hell I've earned over $5,000 of free tickets in the last year alone, without spending more than $200) -M