The Admin and Flight Costs-from The Women’s Travel Group
The press reports that flights are dropping in costs, especially international flights. This drop is due to fewer overseas visitors and other factors. Major airlines like American and Delta have non US partners. Examples: American has British Air and Delta has Air France, KLM. Therefore incoming tourists chose both US and non US carriers for their travels.
Recent price history is, as you know: Pandemic: few flights anywhere. Post Pandemic: insane rush to use up credits. 2023: fares fell about 3%. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics saw international fares drop 4% the same year. 2024:OMG another 2% drop. Fees are still a huge amount of your ticket.
Not all airports have lower fares. In Washington DC and San Francisco, you will find higher fares. This is due to a large percentage of business travelers, lack of a local discount airline and monopoly pricing. We have all flown on an airline where we get no ff benefits because it is the ‘ONLY one in town’. Lesson, if you can, get yourself to a more competitive airport; ie. we use Newark for our South Africa trip, best fare, direct flights.
With our global politics, experts say, watch for lower fares soon. Why? There are fewer overseas students entering the US, fewer government and corporate travelers generally, and resistance to new document needs and or visas to enter the US . The Dollar is high, making travel here expensive.
Overseas travelers fell 11% this past month. From Mexico to the US, the drop is 23%; this drop will help you get your airfare to Ixtapan Resort in August.
Be flexible on dates to get a better fare. Our trips always have options for extra nights. Example, some women are arriving early or staying later on our Umbria/Tuscany Trip in October. Get yourself to a more competitive airport even if you need to stay overnight; example above, Newark is the airport we chose for S. Africa. Expedia shows airport hotels with free shuttles near Newark as low as $118 a night. Want a treat? Spend your extra night in Manhattan, and take the bus to EWR. Enjoy a pre trip night, you’ll feel more rested and can relax about connecting flights from your home town.
A final note: some of our travelers are using Pods in Airports. These are tiny rooms with a shared bathroom/showers for a cheap stay of a few hours. This is a growing trend so keep checking your chosen airports for availability. The upside is the cost $10-15 an hour for a clean reclining chair or bed, extra quick wifi, place for luggage, and use of bathrooms and showers. Some fancier ones have shared living rooms, upgraded bedding, available food etc. A larger alternative is a pod hotel, again a trend and one to check out. Finally there is the day pass to a lounge if it is open during your layover to India with us in October.
Airfare tips from The Women’s Travel Group: join us to Italy, Mexico, S Africa, Greece, France and more. We have full time air staff making us different from the crowds. We are an award winning tour company for women and we actually answer our phone: 646 309 5607.
