There are a ton of hot topics in travel heading into this summer but perhaps none more captivating among American travelers than the ongoing grounding of the troubled Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
On Tuesday, travel expert Mark Murphy appeared on Fox News to discuss the grounding's potential impact on summer travel in addition to the value of a cruise vacation and using a travel agent in 2019.
"I think it's been way overblown. The reality is the airline that flies the most [737 Maxs] is Southwest Airlines with 34 planes, followed by American Airlines with 14 and United Airlines has 14 of the Max 9s. If you're flying Miami to New York, that's the heaviest traffic route for that plane. Other than that, it's less than five percent of any airline's total flights. It should have no impact on any travelers because the airlines have had plenty of warning to bring in other planes to backfill," said Murphy. "They've also increased capacity this summer because demand is way up."
The TravelPulse founder and CEO also detailed the best way to sample cruising this summer.
"The cruise industry is constantly innovating and you'll see that, in the case of Royal Caribbean, they're putting on more of these shorter sailings because the vast majority of Americans have never taken a cruise," he told Fox News. "This gives you a low-risk-cost- and time-wise-opportunity to experience it and it's over a 95 percent satisfaction rate for those who do it."
If you're not sure where to begin when it comes to planning your ultimate summer getaway, start with a travel agent, Murphy recommends.
"Go talk to a travel professional. They will cut through the clutter and give you unbiased advice. They'll select from all sorts of travel suppliers and options out there based on your individual needs. It's no different than a great lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, etc."
You can watch Murphy's appearance on Fox News in its entirety below:
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