Airfare Expected to Rise in Spring and Summer — Here's Why

Airfare prices are once again on the rise as travel heads into the spring and summer months, but is expected to remain well below last summer’s peak prices.

Domestic airfare is forecast to rise about 5 percent this month to an average price of $277 round trip and then continue to increase heading into the warmer seasons, according to the latest predictions from Hopper. But while the average ticket price is expected to hit about $350 this summer, that will be an 11 percent drop from the same time last year when it hit about $400.

The higher prices are due to a combination of high demand, inflation, and lower airline capacity. 

“Though prices are expected to remain lower than 2022 levels for late spring and summer, airfare is expected to be higher than pre pandemic levels, as costs remain high and demand continues to outstrip airline capacity,” Hopper wrote in its predictions.

The month of May is expected to be one of the most expensive for air travel with domestic flight prices around $348, a 10 percent increase from pre-pandemic in 2019, but an 11 percent decrease from the same time last year. Prices should then start to decrease slightly as the summer rolls on.

Las Vegas is the most-booked United States flight destination for spring, according to the company, followed by Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami. When it comes to longer flights, travelers are overwhelmingly looking to head somewhere warm with Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cancun making up the top three. 

Travelers looking to book a trip abroad are mostly searching for deals in Europe, which made up 34 percent of all searches on the site. That was followed by Asia, which saw 26 percent of searches, and Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, which collectively saw 20 percent of all searches.

Airfare may be on the rise, but there are still inexpensive destinations all around the world, and airlines often run sales both within the U.S. and beyond.