The elephant is in the room. Right now, flight prices are insane. You are not wrong.
The end result is the same, even though you can blame global inflation, oil prices, war, or airlines for feeling like we owe them one. There are few and far between flight bargains, and that is especially true for summer. They do exist.
Many readers and my close personal friends asked me a very loaded question recently: is it worth biting the bullet now, or waiting? My best advice is here.
Why do flights cost so much right now? Take your pick. Oil prices are playing a role, as are two years of travel budgets with high demand during any break.
There are huge shifts in air travel trends, such as leisure travelers trading up to better experiences in premium and business class, and you start to understand why things are complicated. Many of these things are temporary.
Oil prices will not stay where they are forever and demand will return to some level of seasonality, rather than the excitement of any dates right now. mask mandates are being repealed, testing is dropping and countries are reopening. People want in.
Should you buy now or wait? The answer is based on when you plan to travel. There is no one size fits all, but there is a logic to it.
It's probably the best word to describe what we're going to experience with air travel in the summer of 2022.
The countries that have been closed for a long time are opening again. People need a break because countries which were open but only via painful restrictions are abandoning them.
It's going to be busy with work from home, airline credits from canceled trips, and a desire to connect with places, friends and loved ones around the world.
After two years of record losses, airlines are going to take every chance to squeeze every single one of them out of everyone who doesn't have the flexibility to travel during shoulder season or the low season.
Planes will sell out this summer and that kind of demand drives prices to new heights. Don't lose hope.
If you are traveling within school breaks this summer, expect a price. Sorry. Booking now, or soon, during a sale could make sense.
There is at least some reason for hope, though, because it is not entirely bad news. That's because airlines aren't as big as they used to be. During the last two years, airlines reduced their schedules, which shrunk business.
There will soon be a lot more seats to fill than there are now because of a rebound in travel demand.
International flights that used to have numerous daily services will be more likely to have lower fares due to increasing schedules.
Domestic flights that never had many daily flights are not likely to change much.
It makes sense to aim for places that will see the biggest return, such as New York, London, or Paris. During tough times, airlines that used to offer 8 flights a day got down to 2 or 3.
No matter how much people love the idea of saving, life brings challenges which can be overcome. Work responsibilities and school schedules are two prime cases.
If you want to save on airfare in 2022, the best bet is to aim for shoulder season or even better, low season. No matter what your dates are, the savviest move you can make is to set flight alert on Google Flights, or take advantage of creative tools, like Capital One and Hopper, with their prediction guarantee.
The trends are very clear after British Airways released its summer sale. There are no real discounts for summer, but once autumn hits, there are some great bargains to be had.
To take advantage of airlines scaling back up, aim for a busy city with lots of traffic to be a jumping off point. It's any time other than this summer.
Points and miles are the greatest hack to save on airfare. It's a great time to use them if you have some.
There are times when economy can cost more than first class. It happens all the time. Business class is cheaper than premium in many instances, and it is marginally more expensive for different levels of comfort. Sometimes those things are not true.
In travel advice.
Adding a side dish to your travel is a good idea. Travel brands have not helped themselves when it comes to customer service. Many are still waiting for refunds hundreds of days later, and many more are stuck with vouchers.
In travel advice.
Not for everyone... It might be a good idea to buy early or late. After their worst year ever, airlines are abandoning their sales strategies. The removal of change fees was the first step in the process.
InAirline News.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
