Vacationers head back to the skies, and so do airfares
The mid-pandemic days of empty airplanes are long gone, and in their place are sky-high fares and overcrowded (maskless) flights. The top 11 US airlines will fly 12% fewer summer flights, according to data tracker Cirium, primarily because of a lack of pilots; jet fuel costs have soared; and US leisure destinations are proving to be the most sought-after spots on Earth. All of this translates to far more air travelers than there are airplane seats—a mismatch that’s sent summer fares for domestic travel up 25% from pre-Covid levels and 50% higher than last year, according to travel search engine Hopper. In April, domestic fares climbed 18.6%, the biggest monthly increase since the US Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking the numbers in 1963. According to AAA, that rise has brought the average domestic ticket price up $160, to $445. Data from booking engine Skyscanner show similar increases on long-haul international routes; prices have risen 20% since 2019, to an average of $797. Among the most popular routes, a Los Angeles to New York ticket is selling for an average of $569 round trip, up 69% from 2019, and New York to San Francisco is almost double, at $662, Hopper shows. The jump is even larger in markets where service has been reduced: St. Louis to Decatur, Ill., for one, has soared 815%, to $609, and Seattle to Houston is up 541%, to $1,383. In addition to fewer flights and high demand, a major culprit is the price of jet fuel, which spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine, making some routes too expensive to fly. Although several airline executives have said higher fares and inflation across the economy haven’t discouraged summer travel plans, some outside sources disagree. Researchers at Adobe Digital Insights say domestic online bookings for Memorial Day weekend were down 13% through the end of April from the same point in 2019. A survey released by travel site the Points Guy in early May showed that 41% of US adults cited cost as the largest disruption to their summer plans.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-05-26/general/vacationers-head-back-to-the-skies-and-so-do-airfares
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Vacationers head back to the skies, and so do airfares
The mid-pandemic days of empty airplanes are long gone, and in their place are sky-high fares and overcrowded (maskless) flights. The top 11 US airlines will fly 12% fewer summer flights, according to data tracker Cirium, primarily because of a lack of pilots; jet fuel costs have soared; and US leisure destinations are proving to be the most sought-after spots on Earth. All of this translates to far more air travelers than there are airplane seats—a mismatch that’s sent summer fares for domestic travel up 25% from pre-Covid levels and 50% higher than last year, according to travel search engine Hopper. In April, domestic fares climbed 18.6%, the biggest monthly increase since the US Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking the numbers in 1963. According to AAA, that rise has brought the average domestic ticket price up $160, to $445. Data from booking engine Skyscanner show similar increases on long-haul international routes; prices have risen 20% since 2019, to an average of $797. Among the most popular routes, a Los Angeles to New York ticket is selling for an average of $569 round trip, up 69% from 2019, and New York to San Francisco is almost double, at $662, Hopper shows. The jump is even larger in markets where service has been reduced: St. Louis to Decatur, Ill., for one, has soared 815%, to $609, and Seattle to Houston is up 541%, to $1,383. In addition to fewer flights and high demand, a major culprit is the price of jet fuel, which spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine, making some routes too expensive to fly. Although several airline executives have said higher fares and inflation across the economy haven’t discouraged summer travel plans, some outside sources disagree. Researchers at Adobe Digital Insights say domestic online bookings for Memorial Day weekend were down 13% through the end of April from the same point in 2019. A survey released by travel site the Points Guy in early May showed that 41% of US adults cited cost as the largest disruption to their summer plans.<br/>
