Overpriced 23` spring and summer break airfare and our options
Have you noticed how expensive airfare has gotten?
If you haven't been looking at airfare for vacations this upcoming spring break and summer, you are in for a surprise. Is a vacation that involves air travel too expensive this season, or are there still deals to find?
Domestic airfare in the United States fares are up about 20% higher than they were last February but in comparison, these averages are only 5% above pre-pandemic levels, with the average domestic flight in the United States at $264 round trip for the month of March and August, according to a report issued by travel site hopper. Some contributors to these increases in fares are labor shortages and aircraft delivery delays, and increased demand.
It should be noted that US domestic fares are forecasted to exceed pre-pandemic prices as spring and summer travel demand continues to increase. However, they are expected to be lower than they were last year at their peak averages. According to Haley Berg, an economist at travel site hopper, May is expected to be when summer prices peak. This year's airfare should be around $350 per round-trip ticket, which will be about 10% higher than in 2019 but lower than in 2022.
“Probably the best we've ever seen,” frontiers airlines CEO Barry baffles said in an interview On spring break demand. Matt Klein, Spirit Airlines’ chief commercial officer, told CNBC that ‘there was a travel lull following the new year when schools reopened after a longer than usual holiday break but the man has perked up for trips through spring even beyond peak holiday weeks.’ Mr. Klein went on to mention the busiest days of the week are returning to your Fridays and Sundays the best deals and the best offers should be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays would be my expectation.
Traveling internationally? Slightly different.
According to data from flight center UK which includes domestic and international flights, economy fares originating in the United Kingdom are currently up 36% from the same time last year. With COVID restrictions easing internationally, bookings from the UK to Malaysia and Vietnam are up more than 2200% from early last year when both countries were still closed. The highest fare increase? According to the flight center UK fares to New Zealand, which was also closed this time last year, are up 81%
so, Is it possible to still find economical trip deals?
Scott Keyes, founder of the travel site going formally Scott's cheap flights, Mentions many great points in that there are definitely more deals this year. Europe, especially Portugal and Ireland, Hawaii and Florida, have been cheap flight standouts over the past few years. While it's worth mentioning that you should consider booking your international leg to Athens, where deals from various U.S. cities can drop significantly, sometimes below $500. Friday and Saturday departures are the most expensive if you fly to Europe on a Monday for spring break, you can save an average of $140 per ticket, or about 20% flying midweek domestically can save you about 33%.
It is advised that if you're traveling for spring break, you should be booking right now. Berg advises travelers should start tracking those fares now for summer vacations in May, June, and July. Waiting until the last minute often means missing out on the lowest fare, ideally one to three months in advance of travel for domestic US flights and two to eight months for international flights. For peak deals, it's more like three to seven months for domestic and four to 10 months for international.
“There are deals available, but what consumers might not want to hear is that they'll have to be flexible,” said Haley Berg, hoppers lead economist. She recommended looking at alternative destinations to some of the most popular places, booking outside of the more traditional depart of Thursday or Friday, and returning on a Sunday plan.
Look at two examples a flight from New York to the Dominican Republic is going for $1691.25 from April 10th to April 14th for the same trip leaving the return day one earlier falls to $1392.25. A spirit flight from Detroit to Florida, Florida, is listed at $411.78 from April 7th to April 16th. By changing these dates to April 8th to April 15th trip becomes more affordable at $233.78.
Hopper reported round trip flights to Mexico and Central America from the United States are up 60% from last year and 30% from 2019. Airfare from the United States to the Caribbean island is up 38% from last year and 9% from 2019, while round trips to Europe are averaging $706, which is 45% up from 2022 and 16% higher than four years ago.
“It's not like a wedding; you've got some flexibility on where to go if cheap flights are a priority; see where there are cheap flights and then decide on your destination,” said Keys. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says cheaper airfare is there for those quotes willing to hunt End Quote for them the day after the airline posted a record half-year profit of $1.4 billion. Kayak also shared that the average return economy for international flights across the globe is up more than 21% over last year. Expedia reported that international flight capacity is still only at 77% of pre-pandemic levels contributing to soaring prices. In addition, Conde Neste reported that San Juan New Orleans, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Fort Myers, Rome, Cabo, Charleston, Key West, and Las Vegas are the most in-demand spring break destinations right now.
Final Things to consider:
Book in advance if possible
Use apps like hopper and Kiwi for rate prediction and comparisons
Fly to a nearby city and take transportation
Search multiple destinations at once on Google flights
If possible, don't pay for seat selection
Travel off-peak days
Want more information? Learn more or request a detailed analytical report on the data in this article by visiting Consulting by Cota or listen to episode 10 of the cotacast as I discuss this topic. listen for free on Spotify, anchor, or apple podcast on the cotacast homepage.
