Fresh data reported by Kayak suggests that domestic flights for the holiday season are priced around 16 percent cheaper across the U.S. than they were during the same period last year. But, the biggest price drops are on flights to Florida cities-such as Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando-which are down by anywhere from 29 to 34 percent, year over year.
Obviously, airlines want to get people flying again, given the catastrophic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry, and the holiday season is typically the busiest of all.
Despite cheaper airfare offers and the airlines' added flexibility this year, Kayak's data indicates that consumer interest in travel this winter is still drastically decreased. Domestic flight searches are down by 81 percent, and hotel searches are down 74 percent, compared with the same period in 2019.
Still, since 2020 has been an unprecedented year in virtually all aspects, perhaps a year-over-year comparison isn't as telling as a trend comparison with this year's previous holidays. Looking at the 2020 summer holidays (e.g., Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day), Kayak witnessed travel interest gain momentum about 40 days ahead of each respective holiday and peak just one day prior. If that kind of consumer behavior is any indication, Americans may just be waiting longer to book their trips.
The company said a recent survey of 1,116 Americans revealed that 45 percent have yet to set their travel plans for the upcoming festive season; which makes sense, given the air of uncertainty created by COVID-19 and consumers' resulting reluctance to commit to plans too far ahead of time, since conditions may not hold.
Some further insights pulled from the data confirm the last-minute travel trend. Hotel searches within two days of travel have seen a significant boost, rising from 28 percent in 2019 to 36 percent this year. Similarly, searches for flights conducted less than two weeks from departure jumped from 29 percent in 2019 to 41 percent in 2020.
Since most airlines have eliminated change fees due to the pandemic, travelers might do well to take advantage of cheap airfare deals now and alter their plans as needed closer to their travel dates.
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