Here are four major reasons why I think that the slowdown in air travel has officially begun –

Every article you read says exactly the opposite. TSA reported that passenger traffic set a record during the July 4th weekend. How can I possibly say that air travel is slowing down? Things just don’t feel right. Here are four observations that lead me to believe that the travel industry is slowing down. 

#1. Airlines are now furloughing pilots – I read today that regional airlines are now furloughing pilots,,,,what? 

#2. Airfares to Europe this summer are 50% less than last year – Look at the airfare prices to Europe this summer and even the Olympic games (article below). International airfares are 50% less than they were last year. 

#3. Airfare sales every two weeks – Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines are running another $59 airfare sale almost every other week. (although I can never find those low fares on the dates I want to travel). You don’t run airfare sales if your planes are full. 

#4. Airline stocks are dropping like a rock – Look at airline stocks! Record-setting passengers yet profits stink! Something is going on that does not feel right.  Stay tuned. 

International Travelers are staying away from the Olympics in Paris – It appears that the Summer Olympic Games in Paris this summer are a bust for international travelers as they stay away in droves. I recently decided to research the possibility of traveling last minute to Paris to take in the games. I found flights departing Omaha to Paris for $1149 RT coach and and amazingly low $3478 in business class. This was for a 13-day trip from July 25 to Aug 11, 2024. Basically, this is screaming to me that the flights are not full and international tourists are staying away from the event. I also was able to find 3-4 star hotels widely available in the $250 to $350 a night range. This is also less than you would normally find during the high season in Paris, the world’s #1 tourist destination. What I am hearing is that the French people will be strongly supporting the Olympics but so far the International tourists are a bust. 

Get ready to pay big time for all the new “Green” travel requirements – Starting next year Lufthansa Group, which consists of Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, is adding a “Green surcharge” of up to $77 to cover part of the steadily increasing costs of regulatory environmental requirements. This will be charged on all flights departing the EU starting January 1, 2025. Get ready to see this in all area of the travel space. 

It looks like cities and islands all over the world want to start limiting cruise ships – The massive boom in cruising since the pandemic is causing many cities, islands and countries around the world to consider limits to try to minimize the number of tourists that cruise ships bring to a destination all within a few hours. Here is a list of all the cities and some of the details of some of the cruise ship bans:

• Venice, Italy – Venice now bans large cruise ships from entering the Giudecca Canal and docking at the usual piers in the heart of the city. These larger ships must now dock at industrial ports outside the lagoon.
• Santorini and Mykonos, Greece – Proposing to restrict the number of cruise ships daily. 
• Juneau, Alaska – A citizen initiative aims to restrict cruise ships on Saturdays entirely.
• Skagway, Alaska – Floated the idea of capping cruise ship passengers in this town. 
• Amsterdam – In 2026 they are reducing the number of cruise ships allowed by almost 50% plus, they are prohibiting ships from docking in the city center. 
• Barcelona, Spain – Now prohibits most cruise ships from docking at the central World Trade Center pier and also looking at limiting the number of cruise passengers allowed in the city.

Check out our Weekly Travel Alert Podcast – The Weekly Travel Alert Video Podcast is available on YouTube plus all your favorite podcast stations, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Podcast.  Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date with everything travel.