TAMPA, Fla. — Some travel experts and airlines are predicting record-breaking travel this summer season, with flight searches up 25% on Expedia and flight price increases nearing 18% due to demand.
“We're busting loose. We're liberating. We're absconding. We're running wild,” said Mark Sieg, as he and his youngest daughter landed back at the Tampa International Airport Monday.
“We spent the last four days in a lovely and scenic and cold and wintry Detroit city and this is the start of our travel season,” Sieg said. “We will be heading to St. Thomas next month, and then we're going to be heading to San Antonio the month after that, and we'll probably loop back to Detroit sometime in July.”
While last summer saw record travel coming out of the pandemic, the demand is even greater this year.
“Expedia’s seen that searches are up 25% compared to what they were at the same time last year for summer getaways,” said Christie Hudson a travel expert with Expedia.
But it’s not just wishful searching.
Delta Air Lines announced sales in March were up 16% from 2019, with record advance bookings for June, already 75% booked, and the addition of more seats to international flights.
"These results reflect the strength in the underlying demand environment and continued momentum in premium products and loyalty revenue," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's President, in a release. "With record advance bookings for the summer, we expect June quarter revenue to be 15 to 17% higher on capacity growth of 17% year over year."
But with the demand comes an increase in cost.
“Airlines haven't yet gotten back to their pre-pandemic capacity, so that means they're flying fewer flights… and the demand is just off the charts. It's starting to surpass those pre-pandemic levels and that means fewer seats. Airlines are going to be charging more for the tickets,” Hudson explained.
According to the latest federal inflation data, flight prices are up 17.7% from one year ago.
Personal finance company Nerd Wallet breaks down other changes in travel costs across the board compared to pre-pandemic levels:
- Rental cars are up 53%
- Food away from home is up 24%
- Hotel stays are up 19%
- Flights are up 10%
Here’s Expedia’s expert advice if you plan to take to the sky this summer:
- Book 20-60 days in advance to save at least 8%
- Travel on Mondays and Tuesdays as opposed to Saturdays and Sundays to save about $100
- Earlier flights are 50% less likely to get canceled
- Avoid traveling on holiday weekends
“Fourth of July is the busiest weekend for travel for the entire year last year… and it's also the priciest,” Hudson advised. ”Instead, if you travel at the end of August, for example, when things are slowing down, you're gonna save an average of about $125 on airfare compared to the same trip in July.”
Seig added that even with the cost and the crowds, his priority is to make sure his wife and two daughters enjoy life.
“It's a privilege that we have," he said. “I think it makes us better and smarter and more tolerant and enlightened.”
Vacation rental group Vrbo also advises booking a place to stay during summer travel by the end of April.
The most popular travel destinations according to Expedia’s summer forecast include:
DOMESTIC: New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Orlando, and Las Vegas
INTERNATIONAL: Cancun, London, Rome, Punta Cana, and Paris
Most popular searches are for long-hauler destinations, including Auckland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Osaka, Japan.
To read Expedia's full summer forecast, click here.
