Fly.com Study Reveals Domestic Flights are Hot, Europe is Not

NEW YORK, March 21, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Fly.com™, the world's easiest-to-use airfare search engine, today announced the results of a data study that shows a significant shift in destination preference among travelers flying out of New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston.  At the same time, the study identifies dramatic price reductions in the cost of domestic airplane tickets, with flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas and Chicago offering the biggest year-on-year price drops.  In contrast, some flights to Europe are almost twice as expensive as this time last year.  

The study used 1 million Fly.com user searches to identify and compare the top route preferences (from the five origin cities) during Feb. 12 - March 12, 2012, against those searches made during the same period in 2011.  

At the core of Fly.com's findings is a clear indication that interest in European destinations has considerably diminished, compared with last year.  Instead, U.S. travelers are now setting their sights firmly on domestic destinations, particularly cities in California and Nevada.  This is likely due to rising airfare prices for international routes, which are up as much as 70% to cities such as London and Barcelona.  In contrast, fares for popular domestic flight routes have fallen by more than 40% in 2012.  

The Fly.com study also revealed a 2012 trend for destinations closer to home, with many of the top five flight routes out of New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston involving destinations that were less than a four-hour flight away.  

"These are very significant year-on-year changes in traveler preference," said Warren Chang, vice president and general manager, Fly.com.  "And it is clear that new low-cost carrier routes, as well as surging oil prices and airline consolidation across the Atlantic, have played an instrumental role in affecting this change."  

New York City: Barcelona dropped out of the top five most popular destinations for New Yorkers, as prices surged 31% this year.  Moreover, better fares for routes to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas – most likely driven by increased airline competition – has helped drive popularity for Western destinations.  

San Francisco: New York knocked London off its perch as the most popular destination for Bay Area travelers in 2012.  And, with the exception of routes to London and Miami, the most popular San Francisco flight routes in 2011 and 2012 (combined) have all dropped in price.  This demonstrates how travelers are benefiting from increased competition among Virgin America, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines as these airlines and others continue to duke it out over the most popular West Coast routes.  

Chicago: Chicago is the only major metro area with lower prices to Florida.  As a result, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale both make the top five route list this year.  In addition, new routes from Spirit Airlines to Dallas and Las Vegas offer travelers the biggest cost savings, with as much as 42% fare reductions.  No international destination is featured in the top five in 2012.  

Los Angeles: Airfares to London jumped 44% in 2012, turning Los Angeles travelers off the lure of the Olympic city, while Las Vegas fares dropped as much as 29% thanks to low-cost airline competition.  Likewise, a new carrier route to Chicago offers airfare savings of as much as 40%.  San Francisco also makes the top five list in 2012.  

Houston: London prices have almost doubled since last year, pushing it far out of the top five.  But Houston travelers show their consistent demand for domestic destinations, with three of the 2011 top flight routes also making the 2012 short list.  

To find the best fares for spring and summer travel, visit www.fly.com.  

About Fly.com

Fly.com™ (www.fly.com) is the world's easiest-to-use airfare search engine available in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.  Fly.com scours major U.S. airlines, international carriers and online travel sites, and then helps people easily sort and refine results by criteria such as number of stops and departure times.  Unlike online travel agencies, Fly.com is not a booking engine.  Instead, users are referred to their preferred website for direct booking.  Fly.com is owned by Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ: TZOO).  

About Travelzoo

Travelzoo Inc. is a global Internet media company.  With more than 24 million subscribers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and 25 offices worldwide, Travelzoo® publishes deals from more than 2,000 travel and entertainment companies.  Travelzoo's deal experts review offers to find the best deals and confirm their true value.  In Asia Pacific, Travelzoo is independently owned and operated by Travelzoo (Asia) Ltd. and Travelzoo Japan K.K. under a license agreement with Travelzoo Inc.  

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Media Contact:
Michelle Erickson
Fly.com, North America
+1 (650) 316-6835
[email protected]

SOURCE Travelzoo