Flight Centre chief Graham Turner warns of Christmas seat shortages

Christmas vacation travellers who haven’t already made travel arrangements should be aware that it will be difficult to get seats since major airlines continue to have capacity issues.

Airlines continue to have capacity problems as they work to recover from the Covid-19-related disruption to international travel, according to Graham Turner, who was speaking to Gareth Parker on Perth’s 6PR radio station.

As Christmas travel turmoil looms as probable, several locations are already off-limits due to a shortage of available aircraft seats.

The shortage of capacity between now and Christmas, especially around Christmas, will be a problem if people want to fly over the holiday season, Mr. Turner said.

Domestically, things are normally not too terrible, but when it comes to foreign travel, we are now only operating at slightly over 50% of our pre-Covid capacity.

“That’s the primary issue… The demand is quite high, especially for international airlines.

One of the issues is the shortage of pilots on foreign flights.

Three out of five Australians, according to a study, want to travel in the next 12 months, despite the fact that airline fares have increased as a result of increasing fuel prices and the seat scarcity.

Airlines responsible for the many delays and cancellations at airports in recent months have increased their ticket costs, with increases of 14% in only the previous two months.

According to travel searches in July, the cost of an international roundtrip flight in Australia’s economy class has increased to $1,761.

The cost of a domestic fare has also gone up at the same time.

HOW TO BREATHE EASILY IN AIR

1. Purchase flights as soon as they are reduced in price.

2. Create price notifications to track changes in fare.

3. Try to book flights throughout the week; Tuesday is often the cheapest day of the week.

4. Reserve as soon as you can

Stephanie Yip, a travel specialist for Finder, says there are some cunning methods for customers to reduce their travel expenses and escape the squeeze, such as buying tickets for later this year when major airlines are still offering discounts.

A lot of bargains were announced this week, so it’s really a wonderful time to buy flights for late 2022 and early 2023, she added.

If a trip is on your mind but the cost is prohibitive, create a price alert to be informed anytime the tariff changes.

Budget-conscious Australians should avoid flying entirely on certain days, according to Ms Yip.

Weekend flights from Friday to Sunday are often the priciest and most popular.

If you can fly out on a weekday, Tuesday is often the least expensive, which may significantly reduce prices.

She also advised taking advantage of low-cost flights as soon as they became available.

“Reserve as soon as you can. Grab a deal on an overseas flight as soon as you see one, she said.