by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:47 AM ET, Tue April 12, 2022
A new study found that domestic flight bookings in March drove $8.8 billion in online spending, a 28 percent increase over 2019 levels before the pandemic.
According to the Adobe Digital Economy Index, March's success was also a 32 percent increase from February, when $6.6 billion in online spending was reported, a six percent increase from 2019.
In the first three months of 2022, consumers have spent a total of $21 billion on domestic flights online. In total, $56 billion was spent in 2021.
Prices have spiked as demand increased, with costs jumping 20 percent in March compared to 2019 levels and 15 percent month-over-month. In comparison, prices were three percent lower than 2019 levels in January.
"The unleash of pent-up demand has been a major driving factor, as the desire for air travel is coming back more aggressively than anticipated," Adobe Digital Insights lead analyst Vivek Pandya said.
While online spending in March is up 28 percent versus 2019 levels, actual bookings are up just 12 percent; On a month-over-month basis, online spending in March is up 32 percent, while bookings are up just 15 percent.
Based on arrival sites, the top domestic destinations for those traveling from April to May include Orlando, Pensacola, Kailua-Kona, Savannah, North Charleston, Austin and more.
Data also suggests domestic bookings for summer travel-June to August- are picking up, as online spending is up eight percent compared to 2019, while bookings are up by three percent.
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