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Americans traveling this summer have broadly seen a drop in airfares, a welcome trend after last year’s sticker shock.
However, airfares will remain more expensive for some regions and destinations in 2024, particularly for travel abroad, data shows.
For example, an average round-trip flight to Tokyo, Japan — one of the top hotspots for American tourists — will cost $1,372 this summer, up 2% from 2023, according to travel site Hopper.
Flights to Canada, South America and the Middle East and Africa regions have also increased by 6%, 2% and 1%, respectively, since summer 2023, Hopper noted.
Of course, there are significant differences between the cities and countries of such vast regions and continents.
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For example, while prices for a round-trip flight to Asia remained unchanged compared to last year, prices for certain destinations rose sharply: by 65% (to $3,196) for an average flight to Sakata, a coastal city in the northeast Japan; by 42% (to $4,190) to Ipoh, one of Malaysia’s largest cities; and by 35% (to $4,092) to Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand, Hopper said.
High prices for certain Asian cities are impacting many American tourists, as the continent is their second most frequent international destination, Hopper said.
Hopper said flights to some key hubs in South America also increased: up 16% (to $955) to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; up 34% (to $667) to Lima, Peru; and by 13% (to $826) to Santiago, Chile, for example.
Average airfares to Europe, Americans’ most popular foreign trip, fell 8% in summer 2024 compared to a year ago when they hit record highs. However, they are still elevated in some areas such as Friedrichshafen and Memmingen in southern Germany and Bratislava in Slovakia. Fares there have increased by 265%, 109% and 99% respectively.
Travel prices have fallen across the board
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“Last year was an extraordinarily expensive year,” said Hayley Berg, senior economist at Hopper.
International travel was particularly costly as consumers reignited pent-up demand for international travel following Covid-19 restrictions, many countries reopened their borders to foreign visitors, airlines worked to restore schedules and jet fuel prices soared.
Some of these dynamics have not yet unfolded in certain areas. Additionally, certain destinations have their own idiosyncratic supply and demand factors that have kept prices high.
Overall, however, travelers have experienced broad price relief.
According to the Consumer Price Index, average airfares for flights originating in the United States fell 5.8% in the year from April 2023 to April 2024. They have fallen by almost 1% in the last month alone.
“Mostly what we see 1716212404 “It’s a huge improvement on most tracks,” Berg said. “I expect it to stay that way.”
However, Americans may feel that airfares are rising due to certain airline trends, such as: B. higher fees for checked baggage are generally increasing, said Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet.
Major airlines including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways And United Airlines For example, this year they increased their checked baggage fees.
While these fee increases generally amount to $5 more per bag, that can add up, especially on round-trip fares for families, French said.
“It can totally drive up the cost of your trip,” she said.
However, there are ways to save, e.g. B. flying with certain airlines, combining pieces of luggage or even foregoing checking in a piece of luggage altogether. If you know you’ll need to check your luggage, checking it before check-in will likely save you money too.
Booking a flight well in advance — at least one to three months before a domestic trip and three to four months before an international trip — is another way to save on airfare, French said. Airlines generally don’t cut flight prices at the last minute, unlike many hotels, for example, she said.
Other ways to save include being flexible when it comes to travel time – perhaps by visiting a destination in the off-season instead of the peak season, or by flying midweek instead of the weekend. Don’t forget to take advantage of rewards like frequent flyer miles and certain perks like travel insurance on some credit cards.
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2024-05-20 12:27:35
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