Skyscanner Report Reveals How US Will Spend, Plan And Enjoy Travel In 2021

TRAVELERS ARE GIVING THEMSELVES A "FREE" UPGRADE

• US travelers are spending less, with the average fare purchased coming in at 21% less than it did pre-pandemic.
• US travelers are choosing to "upgrade" their travel, opting for fares on average 20% more expensive than the lowest shown to them for their route, suggesting they are selecting fares with added extras such as flexibility or higher green or covid safety credentials.
• When asked which factors would make them pay for a more expensive flight over a cheaper one, 27% said they wanted to upgrade/splurge on their fare, and 28% said they'd pay more for flexible travel.

Mark Crossey, US Travel Expert at Skyscanner: "There has been a real shift in the importance of price and value for US travelers. They are spending – on average – less per fare in 2021 than they did pre-pandemic, due to lower prices and a shift to domestic and short-haul travel. However, they are getting more out of each fare by generally 'upgrading' from the cheapest option, prioritizing a direct route, flexible fare, a preferred airline or airport of choice over the lowest price. In short, they are spending less and getting more for their money, and we expect this to continue into 2021 as travel providers compete for bookings."

INCREASING CONFIDENCE IN PLANNING TRAVEL

• The average booking horizon for US travelers looking for travel in Summer 2021 is 64 days, much closer to pre-pandemic than 2020, suggesting increasing confidence.
• The most popular summer months for US travelers are May and June in line with the booking horizon.
• In fact, more travelers are looking at trips in May and June than in 2019, with keen vacationers reacting to positivity with the US vaccine rollout.
• 57% of survey participants said that they were planning a trip over 14 days in length and 56% said they were doing so because they wanted an extended vacation
• 29% of survey participants said they will use their next trip to go somewhere they are allowed to travel to (e.g. within the travel corridor).

Mark Crossey, US Travel Expert at Skyscanner: "Where the pandemic drove people to wait and book their travel very close to their departure date due to uncertainty, we are now seeing this regulate and trend towards a more 'normal' timeframe. This is a great display of confidence that travel will return as people once again feel more comfortable enough to plan ahead. This confidence is being driven by a mixture of factors, including the massive efforts being made by carriers to make booking a flexible trip easier and assurances on protected fares."

Global Traveler Rights Expert, Martin Nolan commented: "Travellers will remain engaged with the changing global travel regulations, as they have been since the start of the pandemic. We will see destinations rise and fall in popularity depending on how easy and affordable they are to reach via corridors, and when testing and quarantine is minimal. We expect that as we see more travel become possible, keen vacationers will embrace new protocols for travel as they have done in the past, such as carrying digital health information."

• More than half of US survey participants (54%), surveyed by Skyscanner in conjunction with OnePoll stated they would be happy to carry digital health information if it allowed them to travel.
• The most popular deterrent for survey participants when considering travel in 2021 was the need to quarantine in any way.

WHERE'S 'HOT'?

Mark Crossey, US Travel Expert at Skyscanner: "Our data for 2021 shows that 'the rise of the second-city' is going to be a key theme of summer travel. The destinations that were popular before the pandemic because they had a solid infrastructure for tourism, but not so popular to be perceived as 'busy', are taking a larger portion of the searches and bookings. This trend has been noted by carriers and vacationers alike, with new airlines emerging to serve smaller routes in the domestic US, and airlines moving capacity to support increased travel to domestic hotspots like Martha's Vineyard, Jackson Hole and Nantucket."

30% of survey participants said for their next vacation they would be looking to avoid cities/crowds (e.g. the destination makes it easier to social distance).

Skyscanner advises travelers to follow safety protocols and government guidelines when traveling. Skyscanner offers dedicated advice pages to support travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic, flexible booking policy filters for flights and hotels for last minute changes, and airline hygiene safety and hotel cleanliness ratings, to help travelers stay up to date with the latest details and to ensure they have peace of mind when it's time to travel and safe to do so. Skyscanner also allows travelers to set up price alerts, so they're shown when there is a deal available on their chosen route.

Note to end on the work being done by Skyscanner to lead the return to modern sustainable travel.

You can direct-download the global report here.