The increase in fares is particularly strong for medium-haul to popular destinations in Europe. Blame it on rising fuel prices, and a rebound in demand after the health crisis.
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They haven’t finished flying either. The prices of plane tickets in France increased by 43.5% for all routes between July 2021 and 2022, according to figures from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation published on Monday August 15.
Inflation is not the same depending on the type of route: international long-haul flights, for example, increased by 28.8% over the year, due to the maintenance of certain traffic restrictions linked to the health situation, such as to Asia. Medium-haul flights departing from France for European destinations, very popular this summer, on the other hand jumped by 54.5% over twelve months.
This price increase is mainly due to three phenomena. The first is “the increase in oil and kerosene prices”accelerated by the war in Ukraine according to Marc Ivaldi, specialist in air transport from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences in Toulouse interviewed by AFP.
The other cause is the imbalance between the strong summer demand and the lack of offers on the flagship destinations. “The pandemic passed, people massively wanted to resume their travel habits”explains Marc Ivaldi, who adds that “Faced with a shortage of staff at airports and on board aircraft, some airlines (…) canceled flights, driving up prices”. and causing unforeseen difficulties for some travellers.
Some also point to the rise in “late reservations”like Jean-Pierre Mas, president of Les Entreprises du Voyage, who explains to AFP that “the later the reservation, the more expensive the ticket. However, the trend this summer has been not to anticipate the holidays.” Price rises are likely to continue in the coming weeks, including for iconic low-cost carriers like Ryanair, before falling in early fall, experts say.