Why Are Flights So Expensive Right Now (2024)

Higher demand for travel leads to higher prices
(Source: Chris Brignola/unsplash)

Rising Demand for Travel

To understand why the flights are so expensive, one must first understand that flight prices are subject to the laws of supply and demand. After the price slashes and extreme lows in traveler numbers during the pandemic, the spring and summer of 2022 saw the return to normal passenger numbers and flight demands. But with this dramatic increase in demand and the usual summertime demand, airlines have struggled to return to pre-pandemic performance.

On the one hand, the demand is more substantial than anticipated as more people can finally travel after two years of pandemic restrictions. On the supply side, airlines have around 15% less capacity than in 2019 as most airlines grounded part of their fleet and for various other reasons. Demand outweighs supply with fewer seats to sell, hence higher flight prices.

-Seasonality affects demand

Another reason why are flights so expensive for 2022 is that demand goes up and down based on many standard factors, including the season. The summer rush of 2022, enhanced by post-pandemic related reasons, pushed up airfare exponentially. But in general, traveling during the peak season will cost double, triple, or even more than their off-season counterparts. The peak travel seasons include major holidays (e.g., Christmas, New Year, Chinese Lunar New Year, and Thanksgiving in the US), special festivals or events (e.g., Cherry blossom season in Japan and the Carnival in Brazil), and school holidays. For example, you could only get time off in March and decide to fly to New Orleans for a weekend getaway. You may be surprised by the high prices due to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, even if you aren’t going for that reason.

Travel for a festival, e.g., Mardi Gras, often mean expensive flights
(Source: Ugur Arpaci/unsplash)

Jet Fuel Prices Affect Ticket Prices

The rising price of jet fuel is the second important reason why are flights so expensive. Jet fuel price is a critical factor in ticket prices as fuel accounts for a large percentage of airline costs. Hence, recent fuel cost increases led to why are flights so expensive right now. So why has the price tag on jet fuel increased so dramatically in 2022? There are a number of contributing reasons.

First up, there has been a higher demand for fuel and travel following COVID lockdowns. People began to travel again for work and pleasure, and businesses were slowly returning to normal with trade and distribution. The sudden increased demand puts a strain on immediately available oil supplies.

The war in Ukraine also led to why are flights so expensive right now. This is mainly due to a ripple effect on gas prices as countries put trade restrictions on oil from Russia. The cost of crude oil has increased significantly as a result. On top of that, avoiding airspace due to war and disaster makes airline tickets more expensive, as the longer the airplane spends flying, the higher the cost of fuel and labor. In addition, some airlines impose fuel surcharges to cope with rising fuel prices, further increasing the base fares.

See related: 10 Tips for How to Get Cheap Tickets

Flights and Routes Cancellations Affect Supply

With demand for air travel on the rise post-pandemic, supply, unfortunately, has not caught up with the need for various reasons. This led to flight cancellations, travel havoc worldwide, and of course, why are flights so expensive for 2022

Flight cancellation lead to high prices and general travel havoc
(Source: Dimitri Karastelev/unsplash)

The statistics for 2022 flight delays and cancellations have been astounding. For example, in the first five months of 2022, more than 1 in 5 U.S. domestic flights were delayed; Outside of the beginning of the pandemic, flight cancellations in 2022 are at their highest rate since 2014. As a result of fewer flights available to accommodate the hiked demand, the average airline airfare in the U.S. is up 16.9% between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. This is yet another reason why are flights so expensive in 2022.

In addition to flight cancellations, major U.S. and international air carriers, including Southwest, American Airlines, British Airways, and Norwegian Air Shuttles, have permanently cut several routes and scaled back their summer and winter flight schedules.

· American Airlines is cutting several long-haul routes this summer due to Boeing 787 delivery delays. It will also suspend 4 popular international routes and pull out of 3 U.S. cities.

-Staffing shortages

From layoffs, pilot fatigue, early retirement, and various other reasons during the pandemic, the shortage of pilots, airport and airline workers in 2022 have continued to be an issue. Labor problems resulted in mass flight cancellations and delays in the summer, and they're not going away just yet. The airline industry has already been dealing with a labor shortage before COVID. Now the travel demand has bounced back, airlines have been slow to add back capacity as they can't hire enough captains or pilots. For those staff and pilots who have returned, overwork and undesirable working conditions have led to months of strikes. So, the bottom line is no airline staff and no flight. Yet another reason why are flights so expensive right now.

Staff shortage has been a key factor in flight cancellations
(Source: Lukas Souza/unsplash)

-Extreme weather

Climate change and weather conditions have also hampered the current wave of airlines canceling flights. Once-rare events like severe storms have become more frequent. Hence weather-related cancellations occur more regularly than before, putting more strain on flight availability and airfares.

-Higher airline operating costs

Route planning for airlines is a vital part of any airline's operation. Whether a route or flight gets canceled is affected by many factors, e.g., passenger demand forecast, competitor activity, aircraft availability, and costs. And when things don't work out, such as fewer passengers than expected or problems with pricing and cost, a route will be canceled as it is no longer economical for the airline to continue operating.

Airline financial problems could also lead to route cancellations instead of route performance. Many airlines, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, struggle financially to stay afloat. In order to keep going, canceling the existing route is one way to lower costs or restructure. Fewer routes offered means higher demand and higher prices for other routes, hence why are flights so expensive across the board.

-How to protect yourself from flight cancellations

In the event of a flight cancellation, try to book another flight as soon as possible; Save your receipts, boarding passes, and all original documents; Take advantage of travel perks that come with your credit card, e.g., airport lounge access and travel insurance; Find out if you're eligible for a travel credit or voucher. Before you purchase your flight, avoid booking connecting flights with tight schedules; Take carry-on luggage; Choose direct flights with bigger airports as they are more reliable than smaller ones; Be sure to review your airline's flight cancellation and compensation policy before booking.

Alternatively, you can book with confidence if things change by booking with Trip.com, protected by its 'Flexibooking Guarantee.'

When Will Plane Prices Go Down?

Post summer travel, flight prices are starting to fall
(Source: Ussama Azam/unsplash)

All indications show that flight prices have started to go down. In fact, The New York Times stated that fares fell 7.8% in July compared to June, with trends expected to continue in this direction now that summer travel is over. Also, with less travel in the shoulder seasons of fall and winter (except the holiday season), prices are predicted to continue to fall. U.S. domestic airfare this fall will be down 25% compared to the airfare peak in May of this year, in line with 2019 prices, according to Hopper's third-quarter travel index.

Despite the higher than usual flight prices, the good news is that the cheap flights are still there depending on where you're going. They are just a little harder to find than before. With things bouncing back to normal, you can also expect to see some big sales in the near future.

Let Trip.com Help You with Cheaper Flights

Trip.com rewards include exclusive offers and Trip Coins

-Earn Trip Coins and save instantly

Sign up with Trip.com and start earning Trip Coins when making flight, hotel, or other types of bookings on the site. You can spend the Trip Coins like cash for future bookings - 100 Trip Coins have a value of $1. The program is free to join, and you can also earn Trip Coins by writing hotel and attraction reviews, booking through the app (30% extra), and posting pictures of your travels.

-Book with the Trip.com app

The Trip.com travel app is an all-in-one app for all your travel needs, e.g., hotels, car rental, and flight deals to around 5,000 cities worldwide. The app allows you to filter flights by price, flight duration, travel time or airline, etc.; Get real-time flight updates; And will earn you 30% extra Trip Coins and exclusive app-only deals.

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-Track your preferred flight prices

Never miss out on a price cut again if you opt to let Trip.com notify you when the price code you want appears. See the flight you want, click on the flight details, track the flight, and receive a notification when the price goes down. This is a great way to solve the question of why are flights so expensive for 2022.

-Trip.com cheap flight deals and discounts

Another tip to save on flights with Trip.com is to follow the latest news and deals on cheap flights by going to Trip.com. Also, you can check out Trip.com's current promotional offers by clicking the "Deals" button on the far right of the top navigation menu.

The Latest Trip.com Flight Deals September 2022

Click the Deals button for the latest promotions and offers

-Flexible booking guarantee

To address concerns about flight cancellations, post-pandemic disruptions, and unforeseen circ*mstances in our world today, Trip.com has launched the "Flexibooking Guarantee" to ease your worries. If the ticket purchased on Trip.com has the "Flexibooking Protection" indication, the date can be changed or canceled for free!

Flexibooking Protection means tickets can be changed or canceled for free

FAQ

Why are flights so expensive right now?

Flight prices are affected by many factors, including rising jet fuel prices, staff shortages, flight cancellations, and increased demand for travel.
Are there still cheap flights out there?

Yes, the cheap flights are still there depending on where you're going, but they are just a little harder to find than before. Book with Trip.com for instant savings and discounted tickets.
How to save money on airfares right now?

Despite the issue of why are fights so expensive right, you can still save money by being flexible with when and where you fly, exploring discount airlines, and booking with Trip.com.
What are Trip.com's Trip Coins?

Trip Coins is a reward program launched by Trip.com that offers members instant savings when they use trip.com to book airfare and hotels. 100 Trip Coins equals to 1USD.
Can I change my flight with Trip.com's "Flexibooking Guarantee"?

Yes, you can. If you bought a flight on Trip.com with a "Flexibooking Protection" indication, the date could be changed or canceled for free.