At Motivation Excellence, we book thousands of airfares every year for the participants who earn group travel experiences through our incentive programs and attend conferences that we organize for our corporate clients. We know a thing or two (or 12) about airfare trends and expectations. In the overall budget for our programs, air is the one thing that can fluctuate the most, so knowing when the best time to lock in tickets is critical.
We’ve seen airfares rise steadily since COVID, and we believe that trend will continue in 2025. Inflation, strong demand, and limited capacity all contribute to this, with the latter two really allowing airlines to flex their pricing power.
A recent Wall Street Journal article titled, “Airlines Are Charging Higher Fares and Are Confident You’ll Pay Up,” supports our position. Adding to the equation, delivery of new aircraft has been limited due to production problems at Boeing and Airbus.
“Just in January we’ve seen airfares rise 12%. Spring and summer travel will likely boost this by another 5%,” says Brad Hecht, Senior Vice President of Travel and Chief Travel Strategist at Motivation Excellence.
Airlines continue to prioritize profitability according to United Airline’s Chief Commercial Officer who was quoted in a New York Times article published January 22, 2025. Both Delta Airlines and United have projected their profits in 2025 to be exceptional, with Delta saying they expect their 2025 profit to be the best in their history.
What can the average consumer do to try and mitigate soaring ticket prices?
“As always, fares depend heavily on where you are flying and when you are flying. Flying to the south/Caribbean in winter/spring will guarantee higher fares and limited availability for the high season,” says Hecht.
For consumers looking to get the best fares, try to
- Book more than two weeks in advance
- Check prices at multiple airports; it might be worth driving to an airport farther away if you can save money
- Be flexible with your travel dates
- Consider alternate destinations that offer similar experiences, but may not be as popular for the masses
For our group travel incentive clients, we’ll continue to use our hybrid model of combining free-sold flights with blocked space and charters to help manage their air travel spend. We are diligent in checking price trends and guiding our clients about when the best time to purchase is to help control this part of their budget.
Motivation Excellence uses high-end travel and merchandise incentives, meetings and events to help our clients Inspire Extraordinary Performance among the people who mean the most to the success of their business. Through data-driven metrics we create customized solutions that minimize risk and maximize results while providing business intelligence companies often don’t realize they’re missing.
