Expect higher costs for holiday air travel with demand up, experts say

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Experts say demand for air travel is about 80 to 85 percent of where it was before the pandemic. But that could cause some sticker shock if you are looking to book a trip for the holidays.

Travel experts say the cost of fuel is rising, and airlines are passing the increase along to customers in the form of higher ticket prices.

Experts also say many airlines downsized their fleets permanently during the pandemic, and it's taking time to get employees back and re-trained during the current worker shortage, making it difficult for the airlines to keep up with rising demand.

"They don't have as much unsold inventory out there so there's less reason for them to discount tickets as much as they did this time last year," said Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler.

Potter says if you are looking to book a trip for Thanksgiving, Christmas or even spring break, being flexible and avoiding peak travel days could save you hundreds of dollars.

"The savings by moving your ideal departure and return dates by just one day, the savings can be truly enormous," said Potter.

Potter says good deals are still out there, but you may have to look a little harder to find them.

"Throughout the pandemic, finding cheap flights has been like fishing in a barrel using dynamite. That is no longer the case." said Potter.

For more tips on finding cheap flights, follow this link.