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Holiday travelers undeterred by high travel fares

Burlington, VT – This holiday weekend could be the busiest at the airports since the pandemic began, and with staffing shortages and flight cancellations on the rise, some travelers are weary.

As a precaution, some travelers have been arriving at the airport very early. “I’m going to visit my girlfriend out in Washington,” said Corbin Brueck of Newport, VT. “I got here at 5 am. My dad had to get back to Newport to get to work. My flight is at 12:50, so I will be sitting here for a while.”

Jonathan Brewer flew in from Ventura, California. “As I was being driven to the airport by my friends I still thought the flight was leaving at 4:30 and then I check my email and it turns out it was leaving at 7:30, so it was delayed. It was a blessing in disguise and I didn’t have to rush.”

Analysts at Hopper say more than 11 million people are scheduled to fly out of American airports between Thursday and Monday, and the average price of domestic fares is around $437 round trip.  

This price is higher than it has been in the last five years. Brewer says his flight from California to Vermont was pricey.

“Based on other places I have gone to, there has been a bit of a bump in price in tickets in general. I think I remember going to Europe for the same amount of money as to Vermont.” 

Nic Longo, Acting Director of Aviation at Burlington International says this weekend they are looking at around 20,000 passengers in and out of the airport. “Especially in those early hours we ask all of our passengers to arrive two hours early, check-in, get comfortable, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy some of the amenities in Burlington.” 

Longo also asks travelers to have a little bit of patience. “There is a lot happening. We are all looking at a labor market shortage and all excited to get on our holiday travels.”

Some tips for travelers worried about delays and cancellations – download the airline app to make changes more easily. Sign up to get timely notifications and arrive early even if you know your flight is delayed.