STORY: Airfares from Europe to the U.S. have dropped to rates not seen since before the pandemic.
That’s as Western European travelers shun flights to the States.
It’s expected to last at least into July.
U.S. government data showed a 2.8% dip in May overseas arrivals from the same time last year.
And travel from Western Europe fell 4.4% in May compared with a year ago.
However, travel from Eastern Europe rose 4.6% in the same period.
Forward bookings suggest sustained declines are on the horizon…
With an aviation analytics firm finding July’s inbound bookings to the U.S. is down 13% year-over-year.
Travel booking app Hopper said this summer, round-trip tickets from the U.S. to Europe are down 10% from the same time last year.
Coming in at an average of $817 a ticket, they’re in line with the summer of 2019.
Transatlantic airfares have been declining since the first quarter…
With Europeans rethinking flights after President Donald Trump suggested annexing Greenland, launched a global trade war and focused on stricter border policy.
A stronger dollar has also deterred some trips.
Major carriers, like Air France and Lufthansa expect slowing activity.
But Lufthansa’s also said, like United Airlines, that U.S. travelers flying to Europe is helping to offset the decline of Europeans going the other way.
