Summer Travel: Higher Airfare and Crowded Flights

Summer is one of the biggest times for travel. This summer airlines travelers can expect to pay higher fares, wait in longer lines and fly on crowded planes.

The Los Angeles Times reported that airports and planes are expected to be busier than ever even though airfare is sky high. The Times reported that average domestic airfare is five percent higher than last summer and international flights are 11 percent higher, according to analysis by Kayak.com. Over the past year, airfares in general have increased by 15 percent.

Flights are also jam-packed. Jay Johnson, president of Coastline Travel Advisors in Garden Grove, California told the Times "I've been on over 20 flights within the past three months, and I would say almost every flight has been at or close to 100 percent occupancy."

Some travelers may find it hard to find a seat on a plane as airlines don't want to add extra flights in an unstable economy. Airline mergers have also reduced the number of available seats. Last year, 82.1 percent of seats were filled on U.S. carriers according to federal statistics. This rate was the highest in a decade and it is continuing to grow as people are more confident in their spending now than during the recession. People are ready to get back to the skies.

Those who book trips too close to the departure date may be out of luck when it comes to finding a seat during peak travel times. It is recommended that travelers book their seats in advance since flights are more packed.

Airlines charge higher fares to keep up with high fuel costs and to keep up with the competition over limited seats. Unfortunately for travelers, airfares are higher than ever and airlines aren't likely to offer good discounts when they're almost at capacity.

Travelers are also frustrated because there's no consistent trend to follow in order to figure out when prices are cheapest. Sacramento, California race-car team manager, Tony Silva, told the Times that his search for low-price tickets has been frustrating as he tries to transport his team around the country.

"The prices make no sense," he said. "They start high, go higher as the date approaches, then for no known reason, they will drop a few days before - but only for a few hours."

Jonathan Kletzel, a transportation and logistics expert with accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, warned that airfares can go up even higher if fuel prices go up again. "A surge in fuel prices will impact the bottom line," he said. "And if that changes, you will see higher prices."

International fares are also much higher as travel increases. Travel to London is popular because of the Queen's jubilee and the London Olympics. People are also taking more international business trips as the economy improves.

This summer, families may want to consider a staycation or sticking to road travel to avoid high airfares and fees and crowds.