Airline tickets are getting more expensive, but millions of Americans are booking flights anyway.
Leisure and business flights are way up, in some cases getting booked at a higher rate than before the pandemic. Many Americans are willing to pay the price. Airline fares jumped 18.6% month over month in April. Travel expert Catherine Banks says people want to get out of the house anyway they can.
“People are thinking outside of the box for their vacations if for no other reason that all of the normal vacations are in such demand that it’s driving the prices up so much,” Banks said. “So, people are thinking about other things they can do.”
Americans are thinking about ways to cut costs, which is benefitting rental companies like Airbnb. The vacation lodging site reports having booked 30% more nights for the summer travel season compared to the same time in 2019. Reservations for non-traditional locations rose 80% in the first three months of the year.