US-Asia airfares jump as COVID travel restrictions end

Airfares from the US to China and Japan rose about 30% last year as more travelers headed to the countries after pandemic-era travel restrictions were lifted. Fares on 29 routes between the US and Japan's Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports increased 20% to 50% on the year in 2023, according to an analysis by Nikkei and UK aviation information company Cirium. The average increase was 25%, compared with a 7% rise the previous year. Fares for travel from Denver, Colorado, to Narita rose 46%, as United Airlines' hub airport attracted Japan-bound travelers from other parts of the country. The study analyzed 2023 economy-class fares from major U.S. airports to popular overseas destinations. Of the 200 routes that saw the highest price increases, 80 were to Japan or China. Fares on 51 routes between the US and China or Hong Kong rose an average of 31%, a reversal from a 47% drop in 2022. China dropped quarantine requirements for arriving travelers in January 2023. The omicron variant spread around the world in 2022, forcing many Asian countries to retain strict travel restrictions even as the US, Europe and Central and Latin America opened to tourists. US departure records in 2023 reflected strong travel demand to Asia. More than 81m US citizens traveled overseas between January and October, up 24%, with those heading to Asia increasing 140%. Europe-bound departures rose 29% while those who traveled to Mexico by air were up 4%. Airlines have not been able to recover seating capacity to pre-pandemic levels because they sold off large aircraft during the plunge in 2020. Boeing and Airbus Europe have received orders for bigger planes, but delivery times tend to be lengthy due to worker shortages and supply chain bottlenecks.<br/>