TULSA, Okla. — Whether it is for business or pleasure, many people will soon hop on a flight as spring break season changes over to peak summer travel.
Travel experts say two things could happen this summer that would make flights more expensive: higher oil prices due to the Iran war and waiting to book in hopes fares will drop.
“This spring break was supposed to be a record spring break for the airlines. In total, they were expecting around 171 million passengers to fly, I think between March 1st and April 30th, which is a new record for the industry,” Meghna said.
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The first factor driving up costs is oil prices remaining higher due to the war in Iran.
“It’s been hard to peg with exact increases but United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, he said that the fares will increase around 20% to really be able to fully offset those costs, which is a pretty steep increase. Although right now, we’re not really seeing a ton of indications that that is necessarily deterring travelers from booking their tickets,” Meghna said.
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Frequent flyer Bryan Vecera is already planning his travels through Tulsa International Airport. 2 News Oklahoma caught up with him as he was about to go through security to catch a flight to Houston.
“I have a few trips booked, trying to see family and friends, and then if the airport’s not too crazy, I may book some more last-minute ones,” Vecera said.
2 News asked if higher ticket prices due to oil price hikes from the war in Iran cause him concern or would curtail his travel plans?
“I think it’s a concern, but a lot of it’s out of my control, and so if it impacts you know what I’m able to do, then that’s a different conversation. But right now, I would say it’s a concern, but not too much more,” Vecera said.
The second factor that could increase costs is waiting to book or needing to change plans. Infrequent flyer Cheryl Cox experienced this firsthand.
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“I travel once a year, and that’s to go to Florida,” Cox said.
“I had made some reservations and backed out of them, and I had it for $338. Like four weeks back, I made another reservation, so I wound up paying $780,” Cox said.
To keep costs in check, experts emphasize booking as far in advance as possible. However, if plans change, travelers may want to avoid booking extra-cheap, non-refundable seats to avoid losing money if they cannot use the ticket.
This story was reported onair by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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