Why the era of low-cost flights in Europe may be over
The days of cheap airfares seem to be over in Europe. In most places, a return to pre-pandemic flight pricing is nowhere in sight. This is confirmed, for example, by figures from the German Federal Statistical Office, which reported that the average price of an international flight in April 2023 was 33.4% higher than a year prior. "Just as we are all currently experiencing huge cost increases, driven particularly by high fuel and energy prices, costs are going up for airlines, airports, maintenance companies and service providers," says aviation expert Cord Schellenberg. In addition, demand for air travel in Europe has been very high since travel became more affordable. But flight capacities are not as high as they were in 2019. "So high demand is meeting tight supply." According to figures from the German Aviation Association (BDL), air traffic in Germany last year was 70% of what it was in 2019. "This means that the recovery in Germany is slower than in other European countries where in 2022, flight offers were at 84% of what they were in 2019," the BDL said in its latest industry report. The online price comparison website Idealo recently reported that summer flight fares were up 20% from last year. "At the moment, passengers are willing to pay the higher prices," says Schellenberg. "It remains to be seen whether this is due to the catch-up effect — that people can finally travel again after the pandemic — or a general change in attitude. Air travel may simply cost more because it used to be too cheap." Yet Christoph Brützel, a professor of air traffic management at the International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany, expects prices to drop, at least in the short term. "Next year, they will likely fall again," he suspects. Brützel says price drops will result from airlines starting to increase their capacity.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-06-22/general/why-the-era-of-low-cost-flights-in-europe-may-be-over
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Why the era of low-cost flights in Europe may be over
The days of cheap airfares seem to be over in Europe. In most places, a return to pre-pandemic flight pricing is nowhere in sight. This is confirmed, for example, by figures from the German Federal Statistical Office, which reported that the average price of an international flight in April 2023 was 33.4% higher than a year prior. "Just as we are all currently experiencing huge cost increases, driven particularly by high fuel and energy prices, costs are going up for airlines, airports, maintenance companies and service providers," says aviation expert Cord Schellenberg. In addition, demand for air travel in Europe has been very high since travel became more affordable. But flight capacities are not as high as they were in 2019. "So high demand is meeting tight supply." According to figures from the German Aviation Association (BDL), air traffic in Germany last year was 70% of what it was in 2019. "This means that the recovery in Germany is slower than in other European countries where in 2022, flight offers were at 84% of what they were in 2019," the BDL said in its latest industry report. The online price comparison website Idealo recently reported that summer flight fares were up 20% from last year. "At the moment, passengers are willing to pay the higher prices," says Schellenberg. "It remains to be seen whether this is due to the catch-up effect — that people can finally travel again after the pandemic — or a general change in attitude. Air travel may simply cost more because it used to be too cheap." Yet Christoph Brützel, a professor of air traffic management at the International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany, expects prices to drop, at least in the short term. "Next year, they will likely fall again," he suspects. Brützel says price drops will result from airlines starting to increase their capacity.<br/>
