Airfare to Europe and Asia this summer surged to its highest level in more than five years, according to recent data from travel app Hopper.
Travelers to these highly sought-after destinations rose by more than $300 per ticket compared with last summer, as increased demand, higher jet fuel prices and reduced capacity continue to pump up international airfare prices, according to the leading economist of travel app Hopper Hayley Berg.
Prices in Europe are now averaging $1,167 per round-trip ticket this summer, up 36% compared to last summer and 37% compared to pre-pandemic times, according to Hopper data.
Airfares to Asia are averaging $1,817 per ticket, up 24% compared to last summer and 62% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Berg said demand for international trips continues to outpace summer 2022 because of travel restrictions.
Last summer, travel restrictions and testing requirements limited access to some countries, while tourism to others remained completely closed, Berg said.
In addition, travelers will see some relief when flying domestically, Hopper said.
The rise in available capacity and relief on jet fuel prices prompted domestic fares to drop nearly 20 percent compared to last summer. In summer 2019, domestic airfare, which is averaging 306 per round-trip ticket, will be up 6% compared to last year's average.
The average cost of a trip will be at its peak on July 4th, with trips ranging in at $349 per ticket, up 17% from 2019. But it's down from the peak of $420 per ticket last summer.
Last year, travelers faced an onslaught of disruptions with single-day cancellation rates exceeding 8% for U.S. departing flights because of over-scheduling by airlines and industry-wide staffing problems.
To combat this, airlines and airports have increased staffing and fixed schedules ahead of the summer, but it is not enough to fully prevent problems from arising. Berg said disruptions should still be expected especially since this is the first full summer season where airlines are operating at more capacity than in 2019.
Berg said travelers should prepare for seasonal disruptions with the highest rates in June and early July.