Tourists take photos in Shinsekai with Tsutenkaku tower in sight in Osaka, Japan, on December 12, 2024.
Kichul Shin | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Planning a global trip this yr? You can be in luck, in the event you’re willing to fly far.
Long-haul trips are cheaper than last yr, in response to data released this week from flight-tracking company Hopper.
For instance, through mid-2025, flights between the U.S. and Asia are down 11% this yr over last, averaging $1,087, with capability up 6% from 2024. Europe flights are down 6% at $754, Hopper data shows.
Flights to Africa and the Middle East are flat compared with last yr, while flights to South America are down 4% to $685, and Mexico and Central America flights from the U.S. are up 9% to $469.
Meanwhile, domestic U.S. ticket prices are on the rise, as airlines have develop into more cautious about capability growth within the U.S. and face aircraft delivery delays from Boeing and Airbus.
However the cheaper international trips come as airlines have increased capability to popular destinations and as demand growth has leveled out compared with post-pandemic surges, when travelers raced to book trips abroad after travel restrictions were lifted. Fares were higher as airlines faced labor and aircraft shortages coming out of the pandemic.
As airlines have ramped up capability, Europe fares late last yr were the bottom in years.
“You are definitely not at a degree now where there’s pent-up demand left,” said Scott Keyes, founding father of travel app Going, previously often known as Scott’s Low-cost Flights.
Favorable exchange rates for travelers using U.S. dollars in lots of countries, including hotspot Japan, have boosted demand. International visitors to Japan surged nearly 50% in the primary 11 months of 2024 to shut to 33.4 million people, in response to Japanese government data.
Travel-search site Kayak said flights to Asia are the most cost effective in a minimum of three years, with interest from customers on the rise. Japanese cities Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka are posting the most important percentage increases in searches, Kayak noted.
Tourists sit in front of the Patong Beach sign by the seafront on the southern Thai island of Phuket on Nov. 29, 2024.
Chanakarn Laosarakham | AFP | Getty Images
It also said airfares are lower across the Caribbean, with cheaper tickets to Dominica (down 21% over last yr), and Barbados and St. Lucia, that are down 17% compared with last yr, Kayak said.
Travelers flying this yr are also more focused on business class, a trend carriers like Delta, which kicks off 2025 airline earnings on Friday, have capitalized on.
Kayak estimates that searches for those four-digit business class fares are up 19% over last yr.
