“International flight prices are much higher than last year, even much higher than the previous wave of the pandemic,” said Hayley Berg, an economist at the travel website Hopper, to CNN.
Berg stated that compared to 2019, ticket prices in Asia have increased by about 50%, while prices in Europe have increased by about 15%. “Ticket prices are definitely skyrocketing and will continue to do so until the capacity to serve this region is strengthened,” Berg added.
The pent-up demand for Asian destinations means that there are a lot of bookings made before these destinations fully reopen. The number of Flight Centre UK bookings from the UK to Malaysia and Vietnam has increased by more than 2,200% since the beginning of last year.
Data from Flight Centre UK shows that economy-class ticket prices to Vietnam have increased by 25% compared to last year, while ticket prices to Thailand have increased by 50%. The highest increase in ticket prices compared to last year, according to Flight Centre UK, is for flights to New Zealand, which have increased by up to 81%.
In the US, according to Hayley Berg, domestic flight prices are currently about 20% higher than in February of last year when demand was still low. Economy class ticket prices originating from the UK have increased by 36% compared to the same period last year, including domestic and international flights, according to Flight Centre UK data.
However, in the US, domestic flight prices are still relatively close to pre-pandemic prices, only about 4% higher than in 2019, according to data from Hopper. Nevertheless, customers will still be stressed about the prices for two reasons.
Firstly, it has been four years since ticket prices were as high as in 2019. Secondly, to rebuild their networks with fewer planes and staff, airlines have changed schedules and reduced services. They have also reduced capacity in certain areas, making certain routes and airports more difficult.
“So, even though prices may seem normal compared to pre-pandemic prices, for many tourists, they have to pay two or three times more for a route than what they paid before the pandemic,” Berg said.
US domestic ticket prices are expected to exceed pre-pandemic prices during the peak spring and summer travel seasons.
@Zing News
Source: Vietnam Insider