Will Labor Day mark the end of 2022’s ‘hellacious’ travel snarls? | Travel
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Summer air travel has been trying, to put it mildly. Hellacious, many travelers would say.
About 55,000 flights have been canceled in the US since the Friday before Memorial Day, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware, and nearly a quarter of US flights have been delayed this summer.
But Thursday’s air traffic was relatively smooth. About 300 flights were canceled — about 1% of flights, according to FlightAware data. At this summer’s cancellation peaks, more than 6% of flights were canceled. By Friday afternoon, only about 150 flights had been canceled across the country.
According to travel app Hopper, 12.6 million passengers are scheduled to fly from U.S. airports over the holiday weekend. Thursday and Friday will be the busiest days, Hopper predicts. Monday will also be busy as travelers head home.
And it’ll be easier to figure out who treats fliers best. The U.S. Department of Transportation has posted a new online dashboard where passengers can find comparative information on what each of the large U.S. airlines provides to passengers when delays or cancellations are caused by factors within the airline’s control.
Pent-up demand is prompting Americans to cut back on other expenses to ensure they can take fall vacations. Half of Americans plan to do more traveling this autumn and two-thirds plan to spend more on it than they did in the same period last year.
More strategies to come out ahead
Here are some tips on navigating the skies now and in the weeks and months ahead while we hope and wait for smoother travels:
Take the earliest flight possible: “The earlier you book your flight, the better the odds it will go smoothly because … weather tends to be better in the morning than the afternoon,” said Scott Keyes, the founder of flight deals and travel advice site Scott’s Cheap Flights. “But also because you don’t have the risk of domino-effect cancellations.”
Mimic savvy business travelers: “They’ve got TSA pre-check. They’ve got the airline apps downloaded onto their phone,” said said Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and a spokesperson for FlightAware. The FlightAware app also helps keep travelers alerted to flight changes.
Opt for nonstops: Bangs and Keyes suggested booking nonstop over connecting flights anytime that’s possible. It might be worth the extra cost if there is any.
Don’t check a bag: “If your flight does get delayed or you do need to get rescheduled or miss a connection, it’s going to be a lot easier to do if they don’t also have to find your bag in the belly of a plane,” Keyes said.
Ask for whatever you can get: The airlines’ revised policies (see links above) are aiming to make what you’re entitled to if your flight is disrupted clearer.
You can also request other accommodation such as a free flight voucher or a miles deposit to your frequent flier account, Bangs said.
Talk about money before vacationing with friends — or regret it later
1. Plan ahead
Are you staying at a high-end bungalow or cramming into the cheapest Motel 6 you can find? What activities are you doing? How much are you willing to spend on dinner? Some may be able to pull off spur-of-the-moment Vegas trips, but don’t assume everyone can. Talk about these factors in advance.
While we often want to be spontaneous, planning ahead gives friends time to budget, says Flynanced founder Cinneah El-Amin, who teaches working women how to build wealth and save for travel. El-Amin notes that not everyone has disposable income to spend on an Airbnb or flights right away, so time is essential.
The biggest challenge often is getting on the same page about expectations and finding ways to merge the desires of luxury and budget travelers.
“If you don’t set those expectations early on in the planning process, it can lead to people feeling like they’re spending more than they want to, they are spending more than they can afford to, or just not being able to attend altogether, which is not the best feeling,” El-Amin says.
In some cases, a friend might offer to cover another’s cost. This can provide a sense of relief but also shift the power dynamic, Bhatia says. “There are times that things will be easier for you, and sometimes it might not be as easy for me. So this time, it’s my turn to pitch in, and next time, maybe you can pitch in.”
If you offer to help a friend pay for a trip and they accept, swiftly follow up with the payment. It’s uncomfortable for a friend to have to ask for the money afterward, White notes.
2. Decide who’s booking everything — and make sure they’re paid back
Someone has to risk putting down their credit card for the hotel. If that’s you, El-Amin suggests waiting until you receive deposits from everyone else.
Once you agree on dates and pick lodging, give the group a deadline for payments. Once everyone has paid, then go ahead and book on your card. That way, you’re not left in a financially dire situation if friends bail — and people are more likely to commit to something they paid for. “If you’re going to put down this deposit, that really means that you’re serious about this trip,” El-Amin says.
Beyond lodging, other costs can snowball throughout the trip. Activities and meals often are put on one person’s card, which can become hard to keep track of, especially if different people pay for each event (then there’s the hassle of saving receipts). El-Amin and White both recommend apps like Splitwise, which helps log and divide payments between the whole group or specific members.
“That has been a huge lifesaver, especially amongst friend-group trips, because then there’s so much transparency around what people owe,” El-Amin says. “And there’s not that awkward conversation after a trip being like, ‘Hey, girl, you still owe me for this.'” Integrate settling up into your departure day so that loose ends are tied up before everyone heads home.
3. Don’t be afraid to split up
White remembers splitting the bill at a pricier-than-expected dinner and the sadness she felt about how her budget had been blown. While your friends are on a trip together, it’s OK to break into smaller groups to better fit one another’s budgets.
White advises being clear about your own boundaries. If the group decides to switch plans and splurge on fancy dining, especially while splitting the bill, others can try a cheaper restaurant. Don’t be afraid to do your own thing.
Mix in group activities or meals that everyone is comfortable with, White says.
“It’s so important to honor what it is you want to get out of your vacation and then have a lot of flexibility and patience for what other people’s needs might be,” she says.
4. Stick to your budget
In her early 20s, El-Amin, now 28, used to travel spontaneously without knowing how she’d pay for it, but it led her into debt. Then she created a separate bank account where she’d deposit a bit of each paycheck to build up travel funds.
“Whether or not I have a trip that I’m actively planning, I’m still making sure that a portion of my paycheck is going towards saving for travel. I can take advantage when friends reach out to me or I see flight deals at a really cool place, I already know that I have the money,” El-Amin says.
Designating travel funds creates opportunity and sets financial boundaries. Going over budget on this vacation might mean sacrificing another trip later.
El-Amin also recommends investing in travel insurance on group trips. Say half the group gets COVID-19 and excursions are nonrefundable, then travel insurance could protect you.
5. When all else fails, stay level-headed
It’s important to keep communicating every step of the way. Rising tensions may be due to issues building up over more than just money (like who got which room in the Airbnb or didn’t clean up after breakfast).
“Oftentimes, if there is an emotional reaction to something, it’s not just about one thing,” Bhatia says. “It could be about relationship issues that have come up before and may be a displaced reaction. They may be upset about something else, but that will be the one thing that they might focus on and the reason they got angry or upset.”
Bhatia recommends building in time for rest as well as active communication. “Talking things through makes for a better outing.”
Tips to take the sting out of 50% higher car rental prices
WHEN DID RENTAL CAR PRICES GET SO HIGH?
Like most travel costs, rental car prices sharply dropped in April and May 2020 as people began calling off vacations to stay at home. But things began to turn around at the beginning of 2021 when prices began increasing every month, building up to a record high set in July 2021.
Road trips were especially hot that summer (thus high demand), but other factors — including a global semiconductor shortage and tourism industry labor shortages — contributed to low supply. In fact, leisure and hospitality sector employment remains 7.8% below pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the U.S. Travel Association.
Prices have slightly dipped from the July 2021 record, but they are still far above pre-pandemic pricing.
HOW TO FIND AFFORDABLE RENTAL CARS
NerdWallet conducted an analysis of 360 rental car reservations to better understand the cheapest ways to rent. Some of the findings may help you save on your next rental car.
Among the rental car companies in the analysis, Enterprise is usually the cheapest, while National is most expensive. The analysis also found that last-minute rentals are typically cheaper than those booked months in advance. And you’ll almost always save by booking at an off-site rental car location versus at the airport.
That knowledge can help you better understand the cheapest places to book, but sometimes booking from a specific location or company might be non-negotiable with the nature of your trip. These other tricks can still help you save:
— USE TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS: Some travel credit cards offer rental car insurance as part of their benefits, though it may exclude certain types of expensive cars or rentals in some countries. When it is applicable though, it can save you money on the extra insurance you might have otherwise signed up for at the counter.
— JOIN RENTAL CAR LOYALTY PROGRAMS: Benefits vary based on your level of elite status, though some levels can include free upgrades and waived fees. You might even get automatic status through a credit card. Yet even the entry-level, free-to-join tiers can include perks like priority lines.
— RESERVE NOW AND PAY AT THE COUNTER: Many rental car companies give you the option to pay at the counter. Paying upon pickup has two major benefits versus paying upfront: First, should you need to cancel your trip, you remove the headache of trying to get a refund since you won’t have put down any money anyway. Second, if rates drop, you can always cancel and rebook at a lower rate.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON ROAD TRIPS
Throw in high gas prices, and road trips might be one of the most expensive ways to travel these days. Here are some ways to cut back on costs.
— USE APPS TO FIND CHEAP GAS: Apps like GasBuddy track local gas prices and can help you find the cheapest gas stations along your route.
— CONSIDER AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE: With an electric car, you’ll avoid paying for gas entirely. While you may still have to pay to charge it, some hotels offer free electric vehicle charging as a guest benefit.
— PLAN A BUDGET-FRIENDLY ROUTE: If you’re open-minded to location, consider driving through states with lower gas prices. During the last week of July, the three states with the lowest gas prices were Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, according to AAA data.
WHY TRIP PLANNING SHOULD START WITH RENTAL CAR PRICES
Before you get too caught up in the excitement of a road trip, make sure you can afford it. With prices so much higher than they were two years ago, you don’t want to get caught off guard. Hold off on booking your flights or hotels until you’ve compared rental car prices and included it in your trip budget.
Listen now: Save money on car rentals
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