2021 Flights Are Cheaper And Bookings Are Surging

For most travelers out there, the compulsory grounding brought about by the pandemic has been nothing short of torture, with bucket-list destinations remaining thoroughly unchecked despite our hopes of traveling. Yet with the advent of vaccine passports and widespread vaccination, an end to travel-related misery may just be in sight – and that isn’t the only good news for travelers.

Holiday Prices Cheaper – What Travelers Should Know

Following a drastic spike in the number of bookings, online flight search engine Skyscanner has released a breakdown of travel trends for summer 2021, when many people are hoping they may be an end in sight to Covid-related travel restrictions.

The surge in bookings follows the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown, and has seen British travelers frenetically searching for and booking holiday in June, July and August). Spain has been the most-booked destination so far and is also ranked first in terms of search volume, with a 170% increase in searches. Skyscanner also revealed that flight prices during summer are 25% lower compared to the same period last year.

Greece was the second-most booked destination for British travelers, with Turkey taking the third place spot. Both countries saw an increase in the number of searches – 96% for Greece and 113% for Turkey – whilst it was also noted that flights to Greece were 11% cheaper than in 2019. Portugal, the fourth-most booked destination, has flights that are 34% cheaper than 2020’s prices, whilst Italy – number five on the list – has flights that are 27% cheaper than last year’s.

Skyscanner’s Travelers Expert, Jon Thorne, said:

“It’s good news for those eager to get away this summer and book ahead as airlines look to be keeping prices low and flexible booking policies in place in order to entice travellers back to the skies. Our analysis shows that average prices are up to 34 per cent lower compared to the same time last year, and up to 31 per cent cheaper than summer 2019.”

Booking Surges – Not Just Skyscanner

Skyscanner wasn’t the only travel agent to report a dramatic surge in the number of bookings, with several other British companies reporting similar results. Easyjet has seen exponential rises in its number of bookings, reporting 300% more than last week and 600% more than the week before that. TUI, another travel company, reported a 500% rise in the number of bookings, whilst Jet2 announced that holiday bookings had grown by 600%.

The surge in bookings comes despite no confirmation as to whether or not British travelers will be permitted by their own governments to travel abroad, or whether current restrictions on British travelers will be lifted in time for their summer holidays to go ahead.

US Travelers Face Cheaper Flights Too

European-based travelers aren’t the only ones expected to benefit from cheaper flights. Due to less air traffic as a result of the pandemic, many airlines that operate Trans-Atlantic journeys have told pilots that they no longer have to follow specific routes. Instead, their will be allowed to plot their own course “based entirely on optimum route, speed and trajectory.” Fuel-saving discoveries as a result may well result in cheaper ticket prices for customers, meaning cheaper flights for North Americans hopping across the pond.

Source: http://bit.ly/3sDmgBq