The COVID-19 era of cheap flights is swiftly coming to an end and travel firms are seeing signs that airfares will likely reach 2019 pre-pandemic levels as soon as April.
With the wost of the omicron variant waning across the country, airlines struggling to ramp up flight schedules are set to clash with pent-up demand from travelers ready to get back into the skies and explore the world.
Airfares for travel booked in January were still about 18% below pre-pandemic levels, according to travel booking firm Hopper.com. But those prices are increasing quickly, as much as 7% a month and price hikes on airfares won’t likely stop until schools get out for summer. That could bring the price of the average roundtrip ticket up to $315 by June, 33% higher than today’s prices, according to Hopper economist Adit Damodaran.
