New York (PRWEB) August 14, 2013
The continued slow recovery in GDP will result in consumer demand for domestic air travel outstripping marginal capacity growth, leading to a decrease in available discounted seats and making travel more costly for travelers, according to Mark Drusch, Chief Supplier Relations Officer at Fareportal, the multi-channel parent company of CheapOair.com and OneTravel.com.
With bookings for the Thanksgiving holiday already up 22 percent from last year, many travelers can expect to pay higher airfares in the near future, said Drusch, with most airlines planning second half 2013 domestic capacity increases of a mere 1—2 percent.
Drusch, who brings over 20 years of industry experience including senior vice president positions at Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Lufthansa where his responsibilities included revenue management, network planning, scheduling, alliances, fleet planning, government affairs and sales, recently gave these views and others in an industry outlook briefing to a handful of travel editors. Some of his thoughts included predictions for the next 12 months:
1. Travelers will pay higher domestic fares, mostly driven by fewer deeply discounted seats available, a result of marginal domestic capacity growth and increasing demand. This excludes travel to Hawaii which will see lower fares due to higher capacity from all players.
2. Significant growth, both domestically and internationally, from specialty low cost carriers like Spirit and JetBlue will continue.
3. Some international markets will see lower fares due to capacity additions and slower GDP growth in the region, specifically parts of Latin America and Asia.
4. Airlines will continue to evolve their products, offering more unique services, new ancillary products and product bundling.
5. International carriers will begin to follow U.S. carriers in the ancillary trends and start charging for formerly free services.
6. International joint ventures will increase and deepen across the travel industry.
Given these forecasts, “Consumers will have to become more competitive shoppers,” said Drusch. “They will take the time to find the best value and price to fit their individual needs.”
To meet those needs, Fareportal has partnered with leading airlines to launch programs like US Airways ChoiceSeats and American Airlines Choice Essential and Choice Plus on Cheapoair.com, giving customers more freedom to customize their travel plans while ensuring they get the best value possible.
For more information about Fareportal and its brands, visit http://www.Fareportal.com/.
About Fareportal
Fareportal is an industry-leading travel technology company that develops innovative tools for leisure and business travelers, partners and suppliers. Its range of products includes affordable travel deals across the mobile and social web, and advertising solutions that deliver value and results. With a portfolio of brands including CheapOair.com, CheapOair.ca, CheapOair.co.uk, CheapOstay and OneTravel, Fareportal makes booking and planning travel easy and hassle-free for millions of customers every year.
About CheapOair
CheapOair.com is a top travel website for millions of travelers who expect more for less. CheapOair scans over 450 airlines in seconds to return guaranteed low prices on flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages, making planning and booking trips easy and hassle-free. With 24-hour support by phone and live chat, award-winning apps for iPhone and Android, and travel tips on Facebook and Twitter, CheapOair makes affordable travel possibly anytime, anywhere. Book travel on http://www.cheapoair.com or call 1-800-566-2345.
About OneTravel
OneTravel.com simplifies the travel shopping experience by combining value-driven deals with effortless booking solutions for discounted flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals and complete vacation packages in one convenient portal. The site's user-friendly design is easy to navigate, while live chat and 24/7 Customer Care mean that expert support is only a mouse click or phone call away. The OneTravel.com Low Fare Promise guarantees only the best deals, ensuring customers receive the greatest possible value as they fly, stay and experience – together! Visit http://www.onetravel.com, contact 866-883-0908 or engage OneTravel.com on Facebook and Twitter.