Updated on August 25, 2022 by Arnie Adamsen
With the holiday travel season around the corner, this is a busy time for limo operators. As travelers arrive at their destinations, they often need help getting from the airport to nearby hotels or loved ones’ residences. Still, as this year’s holiday season approaches, you may want to recommend that your customers book their travel accommodations sooner rather than later in order to save some money.
Unfortunately, those traveling this holiday season should expect to pay a little more than they have in years past. Pilot shortages, rising jet fuel costs, and many other factors will make this one of the most expensive holiday travel seasons in recent years. The good news? You can do your customers a favor by encouraging them to book their flights early and offering them some other money-saving tips.
Airfare Increases Expected This Holiday Season
According to travel site Hopper, this year’s holiday ticket prices are expected to be the most expensive the industry has seen in the past five years. In fact, customers should anticipate paying more for a flight this season than they did even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, domestic flights for this Thanksgiving are already up an average of 31% over 2019 prices and a whopping 44% from 2021. For Christmas airfare, travelers are looking at price increases of about 42% from just last year.
There are many reasons for the increases in airline pricing. For starters, the entire industry is facing a shortage of pilots, which is forcing many airlines to cancel flights and increase costs. Likewise, record-high fuel prices have cost airlines a lot of money; to recoup their losses, many airlines have had to increase ticket costs as well.
Why Your Customers Should Book Early
Encouraging customers to book travel as early as possible could save them a nice chunk of change on their holiday travel plans. The sooner they book, the cheaper the fares typically are. Ideally, those planning to travel by plane this holiday season should book no later than mid-October to avoid rate hikes. Travelers should also be aware that many airlines offer price guarantees—so if the cost of a ticket drops after a customer has already paid for their fare, they can contact the airline for a price adjustment.
Meanwhile, booking early also provides some peace of mind for planning purposes, especially for those traveling to popular destinations (such as New York City, Orlando, and Los Angeles) that often sell out.
Your customers will appreciate being able to cut down on their travel costs and they’ll look favorably at your limo service. It’s a win-win for everybody! For more information on making the most of your limo operation and improving customer service, reach out to our friendly and knowledgeable team today.
More Tips for Saving on Travel Costs
Aside from booking early, there are some other tips you can offer your customers to help save them some money. For starters, one of the best money-saving travel tips is to be as flexible as possible. This is especially true when it comes to travel dates. Often times, changing departure and/or return dates by even a day or two can save travelers hundreds of dollars on airfare.
Travelers may also have luck by setting up alerts to let them know when fares drop for a particular flight. Sites like Google Flights and Kayak both offer this feature, allowing travelers to set alerts for flights to specific locations.
Travelers are also encouraged to save money by packing light, when possible. Very few airlines include checked baggage in their fares these days (with Southwest being one of the exceptions), so checking even one or two bags per traveler can add up very quickly. By packing everything into a carry-on bag, travelers may be able to save themselves a decent amount of money on their holiday traveling.
Related article: What Is the Outlook for Fall Travel 2022.
For more information on making the most of your limo operation and improving customer service, reach out to the friendly and knowledgeable LimoLive24 team today.
