According to an analysis by Adobe Digital Economy Index, based on online ticket sales of six of the top 10 airlines in the US, domestic flight ticket sales in February exceeded ticket sales in the same period in 2019. The reason for this recovery is that the number of Omicron infections in the US has decreased significantly, and at the same time, the easing of restrictions has also caused a sharp increase in travel demand among people in this country.
“We are seeing a clear shift in people’s travel needs,” said Vivek Pandya, who led the analysis. “Now we will look at how to extend this and give a boost to other sectors.”
According to the analysis, American travelers spent about $6.6 billion on domestic flights in February, about 6% more than three years earlier, with ticket sales up 4% while ticket prices rose about 5%. Initial data suggests the trend continued in March.
With the above data, US airlines expect next summer to be a bustling tourist season in the country. Photo: Alyssa Pointer
This optimistic signal was mentioned by a number of airlines at the Investor Conference organized by JP Morgan on March 15.
At the conference, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines executives said they saw record daily revenue last week. Delta added that it expects revenue for the quarter to come in slightly above its previous estimate, while United Airlines said its travel is recovering faster than expected, reaching its highest level since the pandemic began.
Southwest Airlines also has a new forecast for its operations, they expect operating revenue in the first quarter of this year to decrease by 8 to 10% compared to the same period in 2019, down less than the 10 to 15% figure the company previously proposed.
The US said the revenue improvement would “greatly offset” the spike in fuel prices since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine. While higher fuel prices may be a drag, next summer is still expected to be a promising tourist season for the US.
