Ticket sales have peaked. Difficulties in aviation can lead to depression
The demand for air tickets in the past weeks, which in some places exceeded the pre-covid numbers, seems to have reached its peak this year. Now some sellers expect a slight weakening of sales. In addition, rising costs and low capacity are likely to have a negative impact on air transport. It follows from the information of ticket sellers. A number of airports and carriers in Europe are already dealing with capacity problems, but the situation is calm in the Czech Republic.
Click to enlarge
Check-in hall of Václav Havel Airport in Prague in a photo taken on July 1, 2020
| Photo: CTK
Ticket sales for the summer vacation period exceeded sales expectations. In some places, demand exceeded the level before the pandemic, in some destinations even by tens of percent. The interest was mainly about flights around Europe. This was also reflected in the ticket prices. For example, according to Kiwi.com, prices for July and August were about 43 percent higher than last year.
“This is due to several factors, including high passenger demand, rising fuel and energy prices and general price increases,” the company said. According to another retailer, Student Agency, ticket prices are now about a quarter higher even compared to the pre-Covid period. “Of course, a more significant increase in prices is offered on longer long-haul flights,” said the company’s manager, Lenka Kašická.
CLEAR: European airports in trouble. What are people entitled to when they get stuck
However, the interest in tickets for July and August probably marked the peak of this year’s sales, from August the demand starts to decline as usual. However, according to Letuška.cz, the weakening of the sales portals can take several months.
Aviation now faces the same challenges as the entire economy, such as rising costs due to the price of oil, a skilled workforce, or increased wage demands across the aviation industry. “All this for the price of plane tickets. In addition, unfortunately, flight cancellations and problems at some airports are harming the industry,” wrote Josef Trejbal, head of the Letuska.cz portal. At the same time, however, according to him, it can lead to cheaper tickets to exotic destinations.
Carriers in trouble
The lack of operational staff is already causing problems for airports and carriers in Europe. The consequence is confusion during the check-in of passengers and luggage, for which they also form long queues. A number of carriers and airports therefore canceled some connections in the past weeks. There are problems in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium or France, for example.
“Delays, flight cancellations, reductions in ticket sales, strikes and, more often, undelivered or lost luggage are the result of the unmanaged situation of the management of these companies. They were apparently lulled to sleep by state support during the covid era, but they did not sufficiently prepare for the return of passengers,” Trejbal pointed out.
Without additional insurance for a holiday abroad? The Czechs are taking a risk, it can be expensive
However, Czech airports are still avoiding significant complications for sellers. “The summer is stronger than the airport predicted before the summer season, even so passengers there did not experience any problems with check-in,” said Trejbal of Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. According to him, people are also regularly checked in at regional airports in Pardubice, Ostrava or Karlovy Vary.