If you plan to vacation abroad this summer, you may wish to schedule your flights as soon as possible.
This summer's availability of international flights is quickly filling up. According to airline executives, over three-quarters of Delta Air Lines' international seats for the popular summer travel season have already been sold.
"We're growing our international seats by more than 20% in the June quarter compared to the prior year, and we already have about 75% of our bookings on hand," Delta president Glen Hauenstein stated during a conference call with analysts on Thursday. We are experiencing high demand on the transatlantic market for our busiest summer program yet.
According to CEO Ed Bastian, the Atlanta-based carrier anticipates a small percentage point decrease in total capacity from levels seen in 2019. This implies that fewer seats will be available overall on different routes. However, capacity will increase by 17% from 2022 to the second quarter.
According to Hauenstein, a sizeable portion of that expansion is due to an increase in foreign travel, which has been particularly and severely impacted by the pandemic. The airline expects to boost its foreign capacity by 20% over the previous year while just slightly increasing domestic seats, or in the "mid-single digits."
The high volume of overseas reservations suggests that the booking curve is extending. Because of the exorbitant costs and limited supply of flights and hotels last summer, tourists are making their arrangements even longer in advance to ensure they can secure everything. The high demand also indicates customers' growing comfort level with international travel as pandemic travel restrictions become less relevant.
Bastian declared that 2023 is off to a "strong start for Delta with record [numbers of] advance bookings." "As we ramp up operations for the upcoming summer season, we're committed to providing the level of service our customers expect."
Due in large part to one-time accounting for a new compensation agreement with its pilots' union, Delta reported a wider-than-expected loss of $363 million for the first quarter. The airline would have made $163 million after adjusting for the pilot contract and other one-time costs. Since demand increases during the spring, summer, and holiday travel seasons, the first quarter is traditionally poor for airlines.
If this pattern continues across other airlines in the following weeks, travelers who haven't made summer travel plans yet may find their options getting progressively more constrained. Many of the most affordable flights are probably already booked, and decreased availability might result in fewer options.
But reservations can still be made. For the most recent airfare and lodging specials, as well as all the information you require for summer travel, keep checking back with us.
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