Bing Travel Summer Forecast: Domestic Airfares Up More Than 22 Percent

The Fareologists at Bing Travel (http://www.bing.com/travel) issued their initial forecast for the 2010 summer travel season, revealing an expensive travel season ahead. This year, airfare for summer travel to domestic destinations averages $303 per ticket, up 22 percent from 2009 and 4 percent higher than 2008 fares. Travelers looking into Europe this summer will have difficulty finding bargains as airfare to European destinations averages $1,271 per ticket, up 29 percent from 2009. Although airfare is much higher compared with last summer, savvy travelers can lower their total trip costs by choosing destinations, such as Las Vegas, San Francisco, Honolulu and San Diego, where domestic hotel rates have dropped.

"Forget about the low fares that were around last year -- they're gone. Airlines have balanced out their capacity, and the result is airfares trending well above last year's rates and more in line with summer 2008 during the height of oil prices and fuel surcharges," said Bing Travel Fareologist Joel Grus. "Oil prices could still rise going into the summer, which could push fares higher. And don't forget about luggage fees, which can increase a family's trip cost by hundreds of dollars."

Although ways to save money on air travel are few, Grus offers the following tips for summer travelers:

Use alternative European airports for multicountry visits. When planning a multicountry tour, shop less popular airports as your starting point. For example, fares to London and Madrid are typically $200 less than tickets to Paris and Rome. This summer, Madrid is seeing the smallest year over year increase in airfare of European destinations, averaging $1,039 per ticket, while Amsterdam is seeing the largest year over year increase in airfare of European destinations, averaging $1,351 per ticket.

Watch for cheaper fares in late summer. Domestic and international fares start to dip lower for travel in September. For travelers who aren't held to a school schedule, September fares are up only 2 percent year over year, averaging $282 per ticket. The second half of August is also more reasonable, averaging $290 per ticket. Consumers planning to book a late-August trip should keep in mind that airlines traditionally launch big end-of-summer sales in early to mid-July.
Travelers should buy now if they see a good fare. The likelihood of fares continuing to increase as the summer season nears far outweighs the likelihood of fares dropping significantly. Travelers with specific dates for travel should buy early and jump on the next good fare available.