On December 12, 2024, tourists took photos with Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka Shinsekai, Japan.
Kitchushen | Noor Photos | Getty Images
Planning an international trip this year? If you’re willing to fly farther, you might be in luck.
Data released this week by flight tracking company Hopper shows long-distance travel is cheaper than last year.
For example, flights between the United States and Asia will be down 11% this year from last year through mid-2025, with average fares at $1,087 and a 6% increase in capacity compared to 2024. $754.
Flights to Africa and the Middle East were unchanged from last year, while flights to South America were down 4% to $685, while flights from the U.S. to Mexico and Central America were up 9% to $469.
Meanwhile, domestic airfares are rising as airlines become more cautious about U.S. capacity growth and face delays in aircraft deliveries. boeing company and Airbus.
But international travel has become more demanding as airlines add capacity to popular destinations and demand growth has leveled off compared with the post-pandemic surge, when travelers rushed to book trips abroad after travel restrictions were lifted. Cheap. Fares are rising as airlines face labor and aircraft shortages caused by the pandemic.
As airlines increase capacity, european fare The end of last year was the lowest level in years.
“We’re definitely not at the point where there’s pent-up demand yet,” said Scott Keyes, founder of travel app Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights).
In many countries, including hotspot Japan, favorable exchange rates for U.S. dollar travelers have spurred demand. Japanese government data shows that in the first 11 months of 2024, international tourists to Japan surged by nearly 50%, reaching nearly 33.4 million.
travel search site kayak It said flights to Asia were the cheapest in at least three years and customer interest was rising. Kayak noted that the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka saw the largest increases in searches.
Tourists sit in front of the Patong Beach sign on the beachfront of Phuket island in southern Thailand on November 29, 2024.
Chanaka Nrao Sarakan | AFP | Getty Images
Kayak also said airfares were lower in the Caribbean, with Dominica (down 21% from last year), Barbados and St. Lucia (down 17% from last year) being cheaper.
Travelers flying this year are also more interested in business class, a trend among airlines deltaAirlines, which report 2025 airline earnings on Friday, have taken advantage of this.
Kayak estimates that searches for four-digit business class fares are up 19% from last year.
