If you've been asking why are flights so expensive right now, you're not imagining it, and it isn't just your route. Fares are running higher than last year across a lot of the map. The two big reasons are boring but real: it costs more to fly a plane than it did a year ago, and there are fewer seats chasing the same travelers.
What's actually pushing fares up
Fuel is the one that moves the most. When jet fuel spikes, it hits every flight an airline operates, and pricing reacts fast. Here's the part that stings: fares climb quickly when costs go up, and they drift back down slowly when costs ease. Airlines are quick to protect a margin and in no hurry to hand it back, so even after fuel settles, the ticket stays sticky for a while.
The other half is supply. Carriers have been flying fewer seats on some routes than travelers remember from a couple of years ago, whether that's aircraft delivery delays, staffing, or just choosing to fly full planes at higher fares instead of half-empty ones at low ones. Fewer seats and steady demand means the cheap fare buckets sell out sooner, and what's left is the expensive stuff.
None of that is a trick being played on you personally. It's the same fare showing the same price in a private window or on someone else's laptop. The number is high because the underlying costs are high, not because a site recognized you.
What you can still control
You can't fix fuel prices. You can change your inputs, and that's where the savings that are left actually live.
Dates are the biggest lever. When every date is pricier, the gaps between them matter more, not less, and moving a departure a day or two can still drop you into a cheaper bucket. That's the whole case for a flexible dates flight search: you're stepping onto a lower date instead of hoping your one date falls.
Airports are the other one. A nearby airport, or a different hub for a connection, sometimes prices well under your default, though only after you do the full math on parking, bags, and the drive.
And instead of refreshing tabs to catch the moment a stubborn fare finally dips, hand that off. Point Flight Watcher at your dates and you'll see the three best fares each morning, so when a good one shows up in an expensive market, you're there for it.