This week in travel industry statistics brought a comprehensive look at the state of summer travel. From a rise in air travel demand to a slight decline in ticket prices, here's the latest.
Domestic Air Travel Demand Up 7.2 Percent in April
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for April showing robust demand growth compared to April 2014. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 5.9 percent. April capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 6.1 percent, and load factor slipped 0.1 percentage points to 79.4 percent.
Domestic demand grew by 7.2 percent, outpacing international demand, which grew by 5.2 percent compared to April 2014.
“Demand for connectivity remains strong. That’s positive news. But the performance of the industry is multi-tiered. Middle East and Asia-Pacific based carriers led with growth well above the 5.9 percent average, while carriers in Europe and the Americas were below it. And African airlines reported a contraction compared to the previous year,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s DG and CEO.
Air Ticket Prices Down 2 Percent in North America and Europe
Even with air travel demand on the rise, another report released this week by Expedia and Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) saw a slight decline in ticket prices across North America and Europe.
The report, Travel Check-Up: Air Travel Trends 2015, analyzed ticket price fluctuations on key global routes. Here are the top 10 regions that have seen the most significant year-over-year declines:
With prices adjusted for exchange rates, air ticket prices declined approximately 2 percent on average across North America and Europe, while prices decreased 7 percent for travelers originating in Asia-Pacific.
Eight Percent of Americans Receive Extra Time Off This Summer
Of course, summer travel relies on having the time off to take a vacation, and this week Priceline.com provided a close look at the available time off of U.S. travelers in the company's "Summer Getaway" survey.
According to the survey, just eight percent of the 15,723 Americans surveyed receive additional time off during the summer, from summer Fridays, extra days for discretionary use or office-wide early closures.
Of the eight percent who are receiving additional time off from work this summer, 38 percent say their boss would not want them to work while on vacation. However, the ability to go on vacation and actually disconnect from work is often easier said than done. Twenty-seven percent of those who receive extra time off say their employers would like them to stay connected and 11 percent say their employers would like them to work.
2200 Swarovski Crystals in Michael Jackson One
Finally, this week Vegas.com released an interesting look at some "did-you-know" type facts about Las Vegas shows.
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