Airline Ticket Sales Down in April, Airfares Are Up

It’s not hard to imagine that airline ticket sales would be down in the month of April compared to March, especially when March is traditionally a huge travel month thanks to spring break in college and spring vacations in elementary, middle and high schools.

But it’s also not hard to imagine that the decrease has something to do with rising airfares.

San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe measured direct consumer transactions from six of the top 10 U.S. airlines and more than 150 billion web visits, and found that domestic flight bookings in April totaled $7.8 billion – down $1 billion from March.

“An uncertain economic environment is pushing some consumers to reorient their travel plans,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement. “We see indications however, that some have chosen to delay their travel plans rather than to cancel them outright. While bookings for Memorial Day are down, summer travel is above pre-pandemic levels.”

Adobe data found that airfares were up 27 percent from 2019 level. That’s on par with most other findings. According to a CNBC story, airfares are up 25 percent this year, including 18.6 percent just in April alone according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Still, as Adobe’s Pandya said, summer will likely carry the industry to new heights. CNBC quoted a Bank of America Institute survey that revealed spending directly with airlines and through travel agencies was up 60 percent compared to last year as pent-up demand pervades, the mask mandate has been eliminated and restrictions have been lifted.

But volatile fuel prices, overwhelming demand and fewer available seats – airlines all over are trimming their spring and summer schedules to combat staff shortages – have conspired to increase fares.