CheapOair Announces Travel Highlights for 2014
NEW YORK, January 6, 2014
CheapOair, a travel website serving customers online, by phone, and mobile apps, announced today its 2014 travel predictions. According to the leading online travel agency, travelers will see more affordable base fares to popular U.S. cities, airlines offering more value-added ancillary products, and continued growth in travel to international and more exotic locales.
“This will be a great year for budget travel,” said Mark Drusch, Chief Supplier Relations Officer at CheapOair. “Assuming fuel prices stay the same, we will continue seeing affordable deals to both domestic U.S. and international destinations – perhaps some even more reasonably priced than we saw in 2013.”
CheapOair’s 2014 Travel Trend Highlights:
- Customers will book trips on mobile devices. Travelers will be booking more trips via apps than websites in 2014. Noting a shift in booking patterns from desktop to mobile, CheapOair has optimized its mobile site and free, award-winning apps to meet the demands of travelers making quick, easy and hassle-free bookings, wherever they are.
- Low-cost carriers will offer more affordable deals. Due to the growth of airlines like Spirit and Frontier, customers will find more competitive prices with low-cost carriers. CheapOair recommends mixing and matching these airlines to find the best deals on airfare.
- Airlines will offer more bundled ancillaries. Bundling ancillary products main cabin seating options, same day flight changes, and Group 1 boarding will continue to help travelers get the most value out of their trip. CheapOair is the only major online travel agency that allows customers to add these products to their flights on American Airlines, US Airways, and more to come in 2014.
- Travelers will find deals to popular U.S. cities as a result of competitive pricing among airlines. In 2013, top booked domestic destinations included New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami and Seattle. In the coming year, travelers will still find the most affordable deals to these locations by choosing from 450 airlines and even finding a cheaper flight to cities with more than one airport option nearby.
- Americans will be more adventurous in their travels abroad. More non-stop routes and competitive airfares will help travelers experience international destinations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, even on a budget.
- Exotic destinations will increase in popularity. Bookings to countries like Ecuador, Greece, Morocco, Tanzania and Turkey are up at least 30 percent year over year through Q4 2013 in comparison with Q4 2012. The allure of exotic scenery and foreign culture paired with low airfare deals will keep thrifty jet setters go on an African safari, relax on Mediterranean beaches, and more in 2014.
- Traveling within Europe will be more affordable. Low-cost carriers like London-based easyJet and Barcelona-based Vueling will offer cheap flights among main European cities, helping customers maximize their trip to the continent. CheapOair recommends flying into U.K. or Italian cities, with flights in and out of these countries (within Europe) offering some of the most affordable fares in 2014.
- Southeast Asia will see a boost in tourism. Destinations that showed a strong growth in 2013 include Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Naypyidaw (Myanmar). Travel within Southeast Asia on low-cost carriers like Jetstar can help travelers experience more destinations in one trip, from major, cosmopolitan cities to uncharted locales.
- More airline routes will make the Middle East more accessible. With more services to the Middle East, bookings to destinations like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran will increase in 2014. In the interest of having the maximum offering for its customers, CheapOair is one of the only OTAs to offer flights to Iran.
- Travel deals will be found in destinations where the U.S. dollar has grown stronger against foreign currencies. Countries with weak economies will potentially lower airfare to boost tourism, making it affordable for Americans to book flights abroad. Additionally, hotels, meals, and even tours and entertainment in those countries will be more reasonably priced.
SOURCE: CheapOair
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