This morning, I did a radio interview on a topic that continues to get a ton of press coverage: declining airfares. It is true that we've seen significant year-over-year decreases in the cost of airfare. Our spring data report showed a 10 percent decline, and we're seeing similar story looking ahead to Memorial Day.
In the interview, I was asked about the fare sales that have been launched over the past couple of weeks. Since the beginning of the year, we've seen a bump in the number of sales carriers are launching. On Friday, American Airlines launched a sale promoting roundtrip fares as low as $98.
Whether or not other carriers will follow is still to-be-determined, but watching the matching game over the past several weeks has proved that airlines are in hot pursuit for your business.
The one thing that the host of the program did not ask about was the significant declines in average daily hotel rates. With the airlines stealing the spotlight, hotel promotions have not gotten the attention they deserve. Our spring data report showed a 14 percent decline in average daily hotel rates. Keep in mind that hotels are typically the most costly expenditure of any trip, so this steep discount translates to hundreds of dollars in many cases.
Over the past several months, we've had more participation in hotel promotions than ever before. Most recently, we launched a Local Getaways promotion with hotel deals starting at $22 per night.
A word to the wise: if you plan to travel over the next few months, be aware of the airfare sales, but you certainly don't want to forget about all the hotel deals out there, too. You may also want to try booking your flight and hotel together to save even more.
Find me on Twitter @jennifer_gaines.









Comments
Mar 31, 2009
Yes, it it true that airfares are declining. When I visited a few airline websites and compare prices to the same destination, the price difference can be as wide as US150-180. This to me is quite huge.
Regarding the hotels, at time, you could get quite a low price during the last week or from the hotel directly.
With both the low airfare and hotel price, it will definitely make travelling more enjoyable.
Sep 10, 2009
Is it due to recession or will stay in future? I think people are cutting their cost on luxury items at recession period which includes luxurious hotel stay.