You Won’t Need to Sweat Airline Prices this Summer

Finally! Airline prices are on the way down for a change. Summer airfares will average 5.7% lower than last year, according to a new study from airfare forecasting website Hopper.

According to Mashable.com, “Prices decreased an average of 9.4% in March compared to the year prior, depending on the origin and destination airport, according to airfare forecasting website Hopper. Peak summer air travel prices will be an average of 5.7% lower than last summer, the site predicts. Although other analyses say airfare prices are up, Hopper’s data scientist Patrick Surry said his site’s analysis is a better reflection of what leisure travelers should expect to pay.”

Which is great news for business travelers too, since airlines can’t distinguish which routes are for business or pleasure – you’re going to get great rates on all those important trips this summer as well.

The study notes that where travelers are leaving from is a big factor in how much more or less they could be spending this year. For instance, airfare for flights departing Fort Myers, Florida, were down 4.9%, while airfare for flights departing from Dallas rose 20.8%, according to Hopper’s Consumer Airfare Index. Some of the smaller airports seem to be getting better deals than the major city hubs which continually have a heavy traffic flow no matter what season we’re in.

For traveling this summer, the study highly recommends buying as soon as you know where you want to go. Which means plan as many of those big business trips now if you can.

The Hopper.com study notes, “We’re predicting that overall prices will only rise by 0.8% in April, so there’s still time to buy your tickets,” he said. “But don’t delay, since we’re also predicting a 7% increase in ticket prices in May.”

Lower average prices are good news for the millions of people headed out and about this summer. With shorter trips becoming more popular, Expedia’s customer travel data saw a 2.2% increase for 1-day stays and a 3.1% increase for 2-day stays among travelers and longer trips are decreasing in popularity.

Busy executive travelers looking for the best airfare on any given route should plan ahead and become familiar with average prices to and from your regular destinations. To save the most money try to be flexible on arrival or departure airports or your travel dates. Airlines are constantly trying to fill in gaps and often run short specials to fill seats on less popular routes or days. Keep this in mind when booking events or conferences as well. For a large team, it could mean a huge savings.

Happy summer traveling!