If you’ve spent any time searching for airline tickets recently, then you know the airline industry has seen a shift. Prices are on the way up, and tickets are harder to come by. According to Forbes, the TSA projects summer air travel in 2023 to be at the highest volume it has been since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So what does this mean for you? If you’re hoping to hop on a jet plane to head on a West Coast tour of the national park lands or want to jet to your favorite summer destination to enjoy the beach, you will find it harder to get tickets and that the price is going to be steeper. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at how the airline and travel industry will look in the summer of 2023.
Why the Surge in Air Travel?
So what’s demand like? The surge started around the end of the first quarter and has remained steady since. The International Civil Aviation Organization Council estimates the end of the year could bring 3% growth over the pre-pandemic numbers.
Why is the demand for air travel hitting pre-pandemic levels this summer, in particular? The answer to that question is multifaceted. But there is one main reason from which most others stem…
The COVID-19 Health Emergency Has Been Declared Over
First, there is a pent-up demand for vacations. Many American travelers put off their travel plans while they waited for the pandemic to end. Restrictions and mask mandates made travel less pleasant, which added to this issue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global Public Health Emergency for COVID-19, at the end of the year’s first quarter on May 5, 2023. Since then, a travel boom has been brewing.
Post-COVID Openings
On May 12, following the announcement by the WHO, the U.S. CDC officially ended all travel bans for domestic and international travel thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consequently, there has been a huge rise in re-opening attractions, hotel openings, and travel spots open now than before the pandemic. Today, without these restrictions and with many newly opened attractions to explore, traveling farther distances is becoming attractive. Many travelers feel they are catching up on three years of not traveling and putting their experiences on pause.
See Related: Can Tourists Get COVID Vaccine in the USA?
General Optimism
With the world starting to emerge from the ravages…
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