Plane tickets: between the lack of flights and prices up to 60% more expensive in dollars

A harsh economy (with a projection of annual inflation reaching 70%), the amount of taxes to prevent the release of the dollar, the increase in fuel and the fewer number of travel options due to the removal of many airlines from the Argentine routes have the perfect combo they do with the prices seen today if one simulated a trip to Europe or the United States, two of the destinations most preferred by Argentines.

In September 2019, during the pre-pandemic, a round trip ticket to Miami could cost $ 32,000 (US $ 550) to travel to Europe was over $ 50,000 (about US $ 850). Now, and according to data from Despegar on May 23, to visit the same destinations today prices will start at $ 136,000 (US $ 794 on official exchange without tax) and from $ 170,000 (about US $ 996.65 without tax) . ), respectively. In other words, seen in pesos, four times the price in just two and a half years. If, on the other hand, these amounts are converted to dollars, the increase is between 50% and 60%. A ticket to Rio de Janeiro, for example, another of Argentines ’most coveted destinations, used to cost between US $ 350 or 400 and is now approximately US $ 600 or more.

But the equation is not linear. Note that in September 2019 the official dollar stands at $ 58.41 and no PAIS tax of 30%, or the 35% withheld due to Income Tax, which came after three months, in December of that year. The one has since been called the solidarity dollar (the one to consider when buying a ticket abroad) According to the final price, it is at $ 205.

For the experts Clarín consulted, it is difficult to make a straight-forward comparison between pre-pandemic prices and current prices because there are not many similarities between one scenario and another. For Pablo Aperio, director of Travel Services, it is true that “after 2 years of pandemic and zero or very low activity in the sector, the fare goes up “but the reality is “now there is a shortage of aircraft supply, there are fewer routes and airlines running, and there are taxes.”

According to Aperio, there is another factor that exacerbates the situation and it is quieter: “The offer of seats is still limited because there are passengers who have recently bought their trip and live on the same flight with others traveling for in one or two rescheduling. “

“Regarding industry prices, they are volatile for a variety of reasons; depending on the availability of our suppliers, the occupancy factor, seasonality, the type of service, the expected purchase, the average stay, among others, ”said Paula Cristi, General Manager of Despegar.

For his part, for Gustavo Lorenzo, Air Product Manager of Biblos, he indicated that the impact of supply and demand has added to all of these factors previously exposed. “Before there were more offers of flights and destinations, and now the fact that, for example, airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates are not coming to Argentina, is increasing the demand for companies traveling to Europe and, the higher the demand, the higher the price, ”he clarified. .

Eugenia Cutrone, Air Product Manager at Avantrip, also said that to see the evolution of prices from pre-pandemic to now “you need to consider two new taxes and the increase in official exchange rate ”, which from $ 58 in September 2019 became $ 124.25 for sale at yesterday’s closing (Last day of business. Today’s holiday in Argentina).

For Cutrone, “logically there is an increase, which can average, in general, up to 60% depending on the region.” In addition, according to the expert, “in the past year we have seen a huge increase in domestic tourism, and since the opening of borders and fewer restrictions on entry to other countries, international destinations have continued to grow, both in search, inquiry and reservations, mainly in Europe, USA and the Caribbean “.

Although prices are high, something that Argentines are unfortunately quick to adapt to, beyond inflationary scenarios like the current one, companies in the sector are warning that they are experiencing a progressive recovery. Along these lines, Nicolás Posse, Director of Sourcing Aéreos de Almundo, said that “after the pandemic and with the opening of borders and fewer travel restrictions, Since January 2022, the growth percentage has been steady at 46%, but sales continue to rise. “

In the same line, Cristi commented that “starting in the domestic market and then in the regional and international, tourism is experiencing a moment of crucial growth after moments of uncertainty. ”

According to sector projections, such as ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), It is estimated that in March 2023 the industry will have levels similar to March 2019.

Last week Despegar announced its regional results for the last quarter, where total bookings rose 118% year-on-year, ”reflects increased travel demand across the region and reached 69% of the pre-pandemic level “directed the General Manager of the company.

Hope is always key when it comes to getting better prices

Beyond the high price at which tickets are sold, experts warn that you can always get great prices in international destinations, and that depends more on the initial purchase, as well as whether take advantage of the low season of October and November.

In addition, a great way to get the best prices is to take advantage of the tool they offer to see prices in the range of more or less 3 days from the dates chosen by the traveler. “That way, if the user is flexible about the days they choose to travel, they can see which are the cheapest tickets for that destination on dates similar to the ones they choose,” Cristi said. And he added: “Finally, there are other recommendations we can make so that travelers get more accessible opportunities such as purchasing packages that, by combining the hotel and the flight, is cheaper than buying services separately. “the

“At Despegar we use technology to evaluate more than 3 million combinations of flights per day and Recommends the best possible itinerary to travelers, in some cases offers discounts of up to 30%”he warned.

According to those consulted since the quota expired, the best -selling international destination is Madrid, Miami, Cancun, Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. And at the local level, the most demanded national destinations are Bariloche, Salta, Mendoza, Iguazú and Ushuaia.

Next week there will be three days, from Monday May 30 to Wednesday June 1, of great prices for the Hot Sale. “We recommend always being attentive to these special events where unmissable benefits are usually offered,” they said from Despegar.

YN