With the COVID-19 pandemic once again appearing to subside — at least for now — many people are preparing to scratch their travel itch by planning a summer getaway.
But as with so many other goods and services in today’s economy, you can expect to pay more if you fly to a destination in coming months.
The Dallas Morning News reports that airline ticket costs already are higher than they were in 2019, the last summer travel season before the pandemic. And the newspaper says rumblings out of the airline industry are that the trend of rising prices will continue.
Citing figures from travel company Hopper, the Morning News says round-trip tickets out of both DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field are averaging 29% higher than in 2019. And prices jump to 80% higher for popular destinations such as Chicago and Las Vegas.
What is driving these higher prices? According to the Morning News, airlines are raising prices “to compensate for elevated gas prices, rising labor costs and a shortage of pilots that’s limiting the number of flights.”
In truth, airfares have been rising for some time and were up 12% in February year over year. But with millions of people eyeing summer as the perfect time to travel, costs are unlikely to come down over the next few months.
One way to avoid the cost of summer travel is to put your trip on hold for a bit. As Sean Cudahy writes at The Points Guy website, rebooking your trip for autumn might help:
“If your goal is to save money and avoid large crowds though, the fall months can be a phenomenal option. Just in the last couple weeks, I’ve written one deal alert after another about airfare that drops substantially after Labor Day weekend.”
Another way to save is to stop by the Money Talks News Solutions Center and search for the best travel deals.
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