2012-12-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — According to Airlines for America (A4A), a trade organization that represents major airlines, this holiday season will once again feature very full flights, with load factors hovering between 85 and 90 percent during the period, which A4A defines as December 17, 2012 through January 6, 2013.
A4A projects nearly 42 million people will fly over the three-week period, reflecting a 1% decrease from 2011. However, persistently elevated fuel prices have prompted airlines to become more disciplined in matching capacity with demand, allowing flights to remain heavily booked even in the face of fewer overall passengers.
Peak travel days, which will see up to 2.3 million passengers flying, will occur the weekend prior to Christmas, the day after Christmas, and January 2, 2013.
Although air fares have risen at IND and across the nation recently, the good news for passengers is that they still lag the pace of overall inflation. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, the average air fare is 14 percent less than it was in 2000.
For more information, including travel tips, see attached.
Carlo Bertolini
317.487.5025
cbertolini@ind.com
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