"After a summer of travel packed with record breaking passenger traffic days, as Americans head back to work and school, we enter the fall 'shoulder season' which sits between the peak summer travel months and the busy holiday travel season," Hayley Berg, the lead economist at Hopper, explained. "Seasonally, we see lower bookings during this period which means lower prices and more deals are available for those travelers with flexibility to travel after the summer season ends."
According to a forecast from booking site Hopper, domestic airfare is expected to average just $240 roundtrip in September, 8 percent lower than the same time period last year. The report indicated that prices will remain below 2023 levels through the end of the year despite a record-setting summer, but will begin to rebound in October as travelers start to think about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Hopper noted that airfare costs in the United States are expected to peak during the second week of December and average about $283 roundtrip. However, that is still 9 percent lower compared to the same time period last year. This trend reflects the overall industry dynamics as airlines increase capacity and expand routes to meet post-pandemic travel demand.
Hopper's report asserts that the overall lower airfare costs stem from airlines increasing capacity, noting that they flew about 94.5 million seats in July, an increase of 6 percent compared to last year. This expansion across major airlines like United, Alaska, and Delta is a key factor contributing to lower ticket prices for both domestic and international travel.
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