Airline bosses mention discounts to get people flying again

With air travel beginning to take shape once more, some airline bosses are mentioning discounts to get people back in the air. It begs the question of whether to book flights now or to hold off until the sales commence.

No doubt that will only occur once more borders are completely opened and arrival quarantine rules are relaxed or removed, which is happening over the next month or three. Let’s have a look at who is saying what.

Airline Bosses Mentioning Discounts

The CEO of Australia’s Qantas, Alan Joyce, has spoken out in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. As the country is due to have its first recession in 29 years, he says, “We know when we get into economic tough times, people are reluctant to spend discretionary income on holidays or on trip or spend less. So we have to incentivise that – we know we can do that with these cheap airfares.”

On the other side of the world, there are comments from the Irish carrier Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary in the Irish Times. He says, “Prices are going to come way down. We think it’s pretty clear that for the next 12 months prices are going to be way down.” Considering how inexpensive Ryanair can be, will we see the return of the 1c fares of the past? Who knows!

What Happened In The Past?

During the Global Financial Crisis, fares were often very low. I could get business class tickets from Europe to the USA and back for as low as €1,000. Economy fares were peanuts as well.

At the same time, airlines incentivised frequent flyers, by offering things like bonus miles on tickets. Not much has happened in this area yet, as airlines don’t yet have enough knowledge on time frames to make these decisions yet.

Overall Thoughts

The prospect of discounts is always going to be on the cards. If flights start again and too many seats are going out empty, prices will drop to get people on board. With the substantial cash drain that airlines have been facing, any income is better than none.

All that remains to be seen is when these will come in. It can’t be too far off now, considering borders are reopening and countries are actively saying they want tourists to visit. Caution is still the name of the game though, so as usual, time will tell what happens next.

Have you seen any discounts when it comes to airfares or hotels yet? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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