This summer will beat pre-pandemic travel numbers, The Points Guy says

Brian Kelly, founder and CEO of The Points Guy, argued on Wednesday that this summer will beat pre-pandemic travel numbers despite soaring airfare prices.

In general, we have seen domestic airfare go up dramatically and I think this summer we will actually beat our pre-pandemic travel numbers of total TSA passengers, Kelly Mornings with Maria.

In March, US consumers spent $8.8 billion on domestic flight bookings, surpassing pre-pandemic spending on bookings, according to Adobe.

In March, consumer spending on domestic bookings grew 28% compared to the same time in the same time in 2019, according to the Adobe Digital Economy IndexAdobe Digital Economy Index, which measures direct consumer transactions from six of the top 10 U.S. airlines.

In the first three months of the year alone, consumers already doled out $21 billion in domestic flights online. In all, consumers spent $56 billion on domestic flights in all of 2021, according to the data.

As demand went up, so did the price of tickets, according to the data. According to Adobe, the cost for plane tickets increased 20% in March compared to 2019 levels. In February, prices were 5% higher than in 2019 levels. The data shows that prices in January were 3% lower than in January, as concerns over the omicron variant swept the nation.

In the coming months, airfare will increase as the cost of jet fuel takes off and demand from travelers increases.

The Consumer Airfare Index Report for January 2022 shows an average 7% increase in domestic airfare, topping $315 for a round-trip ticket, according to mobile travel app Hopper's Consumer Airfare Index Report.

On Wednesday, Kelly detailed the hottest summer destinations, the expected cost and ways to save money.

Kelly noted that flights and hotels in top destinations were selling out. Florida is more expensive than pre-pandemic, he told host Maria Bartiromo.

Kelly stressed that the key is to book now as fares continue to rise.

Kelly said that it is cheaper in many U.S. markets to fly to certain international locations compared to domestic destinations. He pointed out the price of a flight to Greece compared to the price of a flight to Miami as an example.

He told Bartiromo that we are seeing $280 airfares to Greece.

He said that the best thing to do is not to go to Mykonos, which is where all the Europeans go. You can save money on travel by going to smaller islands off the beaten path.