You've felt the sting of high gas prices when you fill up at the pump. But what about when you purchase your airline ticket? For the most part, gas prices have not inflicted too much financial worry on travelers. Rather than raising fares, many carriers have cut down the number of flights. It is only recently that ticket prices have begun to rise. Perhaps the price changes have been incremental, but it's obvious that all those nickels and dime increases are adding up. USA Today reports:

Average business fares on the USA's top 280 routes have jumped 8% from a year ago, according to price tracker Harrell Associates. And leisure fare prices on those same prime routes are up 26% from a year ago. This week, Arizona-based US Airways imposed a $5 across-the-board fare increase on every ticket sold.

What does this mean for the coming holiday travel season? Many casual travelers are simply choosing to stay home. The number of tickets sold is down across the board.

That's bad for the airlines, but good for consumers who can take advantage of some of the deals airlines are offering to lure customers into flying for the holidays.