Thanksgiving flight bookings down from 2019, but higher fares lift revenue

Consumers have booked fewer flights for Thanksgiving week than they did three years ago, before the Covid pandemic, in line with Adobe data released Thursday.

Domestic bookings are down 7% from the identical point in 2019, but high fares have translated to a 3% increase in revenue.

Air travel demand has been resilient this yr, despite high inflation and a very sharp rise in fares, helping airlines greater than make up for a surge in fuel and other costs.

Inflation in October rose lower than expected, but airfare was up nearly 43% from last yr.

“The slower bookings growth indicates that some consumers could also be waiting to see if prices come down materially, while others may pursue alternate types of travel, similar to by automotive or train,” Adobe said in its report, which checked out online bookings of six of the ten largest U.S. carriers.

Consumers have spent $76 billion on flights online this yr, up 17% from 2019, Adobe said. Bookings rose 5%, showing a piece of the rise was because of higher fares.