by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Fri June 23, 2023

While air travel prices remain higher than usual, summer travel research suggests prices, delays and flights are improving steadily, with a record number of travelers heading to Europe and elsewhere on transatlantic flights. 

Data from Going.com found that more Americans have flown this year than during the same period in 2019, exceeding expectations for the industry as a whole. 

And while many travelers are experiencing sticker shock when searching for their last-minute flights, overall flight prices are down an average of 10 percent from last year’s peak. It’s only the last-minute travel trend that’s putting a huge damper on travelers’ expectations this summer, though some are willing to pay the price for their trips. 

“We are seeing a huge increase in bookings within less than 45 days: 38 percent of our last 30 bookings were traveling in less than 60 days, so a lot of last minute bookings and trip cost has not been an issue,” said Mark Hennigan, Co-Owner of Dreamers Travel, Hampstead, MD. “We are seeing clients spend more than they have ever spent in the past.”

Europe Travel Is at a Record High

Going.com is seeing international travel outperform domestic ticket sales by 10 percent, with the number of Americans heading to international destinations increasing 46 percent in February alone. Transatlantic flights have increased 20 percent from 2019. 

“Europe has been by far the most popular destination over the past two months for last-minute bookings,” said Corey Hargarther, Travel Advisor at a Dream Vacations franchise in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

“There have been some deals as of late for early-to-mid September departures from both travel suppliers and the airlines. The hefty expense of airfare to/from Europe has been a major deterrent this year. In response, suppliers are offering incentives to travel agents to boost sales for Europe at the tail end of the summer, which is highly unusual.”

Eiffel Tower at sunrise. (Photo Credit: Getty Images/anyaberkut)

Hopper’s Summer Travel to Europe report also found this to be true. One third of all searches for international flights on the travel app were searches for flights to Europe — and prices to Europe just happen to be the highest in over five years, averaging over $1,200 this summer.

Disruptions Are Better, Though Fears Abound

One of the worst fears air passengers have this year are major flight disruptions or cancellations — these could be due to the massive strikes happening across the globe by airport workers, or simply bad weather exacerbated by climate change. 

Either way, cancellations and delays are improving from last year, with a below-average cancellation rate of less than 2 percent, according to Going.com’s research. Many airlines now have the capacity to actually fly the schedules they’re offering, which is a stark improvement from last year. 

Improvements seem to be occurring within air travel, though travelers’ concerns are the same as last year: high prices and fears of delays or cancellations remain top-of-mind. 

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