The Covid pandemic has had a massive hit on flights around the world, and as a traveller – I see this first hand. For the 2 years that we were in lockdown, airlines, holiday companies and travel companies were all hit massively by the pandemic with flights being grounded, countries restricting access and some countries not allowing people to leave. All of this has contributed to a bumpy time in the travel, and air-travel industry. Today, I’m looking at what the airfares look like today, and if we’re actually better off flying after the pandemic.
What did Airfares look like Pre-Pandemic?
If you compare the number of international seats booked on planes during 2019, 2020, and 2021 – you can see the massive impact that Covid had on the travel industry. In 2019, roughly 45 million people per week took a flight. In 2020, this dropped to a startling 13 million. This 71% decrease has only really started to increase again during 2022, but is still staggeringly low.
Will the Air Travel Industry Recover in 2022?
My truthful answer is yes, but it will be a bumpy road. The travel industry in general has had almost no movement, and people who like to go on holiday regularly will not have had the chance to do so for a few years! This means that more and more people will be wanting to get away on holiday.
In the UK, only 23.8 million residents made the journey over the pond to other countries, which was a massive 74% decrease from the previous year. Will this mean we will see a 74% increase this year? Probably not, but should restrictions remain lifted, then we should see his number increase year on year as before the pandemic.
When should you book an international holiday in 2022?
Quite a few people have asked me this, and booking holidays post-pandemic seems to be quite cost effective due to airlines and travel providers trying to reclaim losses from the pandemic.
If you are planning on booking a holiday outside of the country in 2022/2023, I would suggest booking as soon as possible. Throughout 2021, and into 2022 – fuel prices took a massive hike, increasing by 60%. With conflict surrounding Europe and the pandemic still being a problem in early 2022, there is no telling when this might stop increasing.
Not only this, but with the pandemic nearing an end, flight and travel companies are trying to get more passengers through their system. This means that cheap flights and bookings at hotels won’t be available forever. The sooner you can book a flight, the cheaper you will get it.
What are the average airfares in 2022?
So far in 2022, the average fare price has actually remained relatively low since coming out of the pandemic. The average round-trip price for domestic flights in the United States is around £178. International flights are coming in at an average £550.
For reference, according to Hopper, flying to the same places in 2019 would cost you on average £250 for domestic travel, and £650 for anything international. Although not a massive decrease, hotels are also following a similar decrease in overnight stays.
All the above is a good indication to suggest there is not gonna be a better time to hop on a plane and go explore a different place. Perhaps one of the following could be your next adventure?