2018 May Be The Year To Fly

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NEW YORK (CBSMiami/CNN) - The next time you take a flight, you may notice something a bit different.

More seats.

Airlines want to take advantage of the strong economy and an unemployment rate which is at a 17 year low. More people with jobs could mean more business travel and more people flying to their vacation destinations.

To keep up, many airlines are adding more flights and flying larger planes which could result in more available seats, and perhaps better prices for flights.

United Airlines said this year it's going to increase capacity between four and six percent. They also plan to start matching the fares of lower cost carriers, like Spirit and Frontier, by expanding its no-frills fares.

Southwest Airlines and jetBlue also expect more growth this year than in years past.

American Airlines and Delta also have options for basic economy flights, offering a cheaper fare but with restrictions on perks like selecting seats.

With a variety of fares and seats to choose from, 2018 may be the year for the frequent flier.