Taking a nice summer vacation is a privilege and joy. But unfortunately, the state of summer travel last year had some … nightmarish elements, to say the least.
Will the scourge of mass cancellations, shockingly long lines, high prices and the general chaos of 2022 be destined to repeat in 2023, or will things be different? As this week marked the official start of the summer travel season, we asked travel experts to share their predictions.
Travel appetites remain large.
“No matter how you spin the data, one thing is clear: Summer travel is going to be off the charts this year,” said Sarah Firshein, head of editorial at Tripadvisor. “There’s an appetite and enthusiasm not seen since before the pandemic.”
She pointed to a recent Tripadvisor survey that found that 82% of U.S. users plan to travel in some form within the next three months. Meanwhile, an Expedia report indicated that 81% of travelers globally intend to travel the same amount or more in summer 2023 compared to last year, and travel information site The Vacationer found a 5% increase in the number of Americans who plan to travel this summer versus in 2022.
“Summer travel is officially back,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “While it has been slowly recovering over the past few years, 2023 is going to closely resemble pre-pandemic years. According to TSA checkpoint travel numbers, many days in 2023 are seeing more passengers than the same day in 2019.”
Expect delays, cancellations and long lines.
With more air passengers comes a higher chance of encountering air travel headaches like delays, cancellations and chaotically long lines.
“Unfortunately, I think flight cancellations and delays are going to be an issue again this summer,” Dengler said. “Airlines have still not fully replenished their supply of pilots after the pandemic, and travel demand is higher than ever.”
Labor strikes have also disrupted travelers’ plans this year, which will likely continue into the summer.
“While there is nothing you can do to completely prevent a flight interruption, you can do things like booking the earliest flight of the day and avoiding low-cost carriers that frequently experience delays and cancellations,” Dengler noted. “Flights taking off before 8 a.m. are much less likely to experience an interruption like a cancellation or major delay than those taking off later in the day. While no one wants to start their summer vacation tired, it is much better than…
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