Katy Nastro travel tips

Just weeks after it was grounded, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 is back in service. And while flying is statistically one of the safest ways to travel, fear of flying is still a very real thing for many travelers.

For years, Frontier Airlines has offered ultra-low cost fares to popular vacation destinations — like Florida and Las Vegas — and charged for nearly every extra on board. Now, the airline is shifting gears a bit, exploring new “overpriced” markets and offering more luxury options to compete with some of the larger carriers.

It’s a catch-22 that so many travelers bemoan: Summer is the most convenient time to travel thanks to good weather and plenty of federal holidays to extend that vacation. But summer holidays—like Memorial Day Weekend, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, and Labor Day Weekend—are among the most expensive days of the year to fly, leading many would-be-tourists to just stay home.

If you haven't checked flight prices to Orlando or Las Vegas recently, it may be a good time to take a look.

One of the most unpredictable aspects of flying these days just might be how long the security line will be when you get there. There's nothing worse than arriving at the airport to an endless string of passengers snaking through the terminal, as officers go through the essential but tedious task of ensuring that each flier’s boarding pass, government ID, and face all match up.

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines officially ended their merger plans on Monday, weeks after a federal judge blocked the effort. 

When my son turned 18, we suddenly had to rethink the way both he and we as a family traveled.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a much-anticipated merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, but experts say that’s good news for travelers.

If traveling more and paying less for flights is on your New Year’s resolution list — you’re in luck.  A new analysis from discount flight booking site Going.com, shared withTravel + Leisure, revealed that airfare has dipped below pre-pandemic prices and also dropped 24 percent from the May 2022 peak of airfares. The company provided evidence of the  international fares dropping such as flights to Paris for $387 and to New Zealand for $686 round-trip.  “2023 has been a return to normalcy when it comes to flight prices, while 2024 is expected to just be normal. The peak of flight prices in May of 2022 have disappeared,” Going.com’s Katy Nastro shared in a statement to T+L.“Looking forward, we don't anticipate any major swings in demand outside of typical peak seasons like the summer or the winter holidays like we saw in the last 18 months where post-pandemic pent up travel demand drove prices upwards.” Naylor analyzed the average price of airfare and tracked a downward trend for 13 of the last 18 months, and that prices are currently down 12 percent from the same time last year.  Economists cite less people traveling for leisure, and a lack of business travel as reasons for the lower airfares.  “It’s a combination of less business travel, as we haven’t seen the rebound to pre-pandemic levels, lower fuel prices, and more capacity as more planes have come online,” KPMG’s Chief Economist Diane Swonk told T+L in an interview.   Southwest Airlines recently described the current level of business travelers flying as “below historical levels” during their October 2023 earnings call.  In addition to airfares trending down, car rental prices dropped 10.1 percent over the last year, according to the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index Report.  

Alaska Airlines plans to purchase Hawaiian Airlines in a transaction that will likely take more than a year to complete and may make flights more expensive for travelers.

For people with a travel bug, the months between spring 2021 and October 2023 posed an unprecedented opportunity.

Travelers is heading to Mexico — whether they're to indulge in its vibrant street food culture or relax at an all-inclusive resort — may be in luck as flights to the destination are on track to get much cheaper in 2024.

While the current prices of airline tickets are down from their peak earlier this year—thanks to pent-up travel demand being released and more flights being added—they likely won’t stay that way for long. The holidays are coming and, with them, an increase in flight prices.

As the federal government inches closer toward a government shutdown, travel will remain largely the same for Americans if it indeed happens. However, in the event of a shutdown, travelers may feel the effects in various situations.

Earlier this year, the cost of flights had reached some of the highest levels they had been in years as swarms of travelers embraced revenge travel with a fervor, flaunting their willingness to pay exorbitant prices for flights to just about anywhere as everyone played the game of postpandemic travel catch-up. What we didn’t know as we handed over our credit cards with a whatever-it-takes resolve was that some degree of relief was on its way.

The summer travel season may have just wrapped up, but it’s already time to ink in plans for Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel—at least if you want to find the best deals.

Business class travel, with its lie-flat seats and elevated food service, is the epitome of luxury and comfort when it comes to commercial air travel. While the price tag can often be eye-watering, savvy travelers have discovered numerous strategies for securing more affordable upgrades to business.

In today’s travel landscape—with unpredictable weather, days-long flight delays, and so many other factors that can affect your desire to take a trip—knowing how to get a refund for airfare is of the utmost importance.

In an era of high airfares, travelers will often get creative to find cheaper flights—and while that craftiness can be admirable, it’s also a bit risky. Case in point: A strategy known as “skiplagging” has been making headlines after a teenager who was flying with American Airlines last week from Florida to New York, and planned to get off in the connecting city of Charlotte, North Carolina, was prohibited from boarding the original flight and asked to rebook a direct flight to Charlotte.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Sunday Scaries hit hardest on the last day of a fabulous trip. Even when I’ve had my fun and I’m objectively ready to come home, I dread my domestic obligations: readjusting routines, returning to work, and answering those blasted emails. Fighting to get back to inbox zero after the weekend is a battle—but after a week away, where I pretended I was beholden to no master but myself? Forget about it.

Still hoping to get to Europe this summer but wondering if there’s a way to finagle a vacation there during what remains of this record-breaking season without completely busting your budget?