Here it comes… Steve Glenn’s travel industry predictions for 2023 Part 2

During the past twenty years over 70% of my predictions have come true. Last week I provided you with predictions 1-10. This week I will provide you with 10 more travel industry crystal ball predictions for this year. Here is week 2 of what I think will happen in 2023. Part 3 of 4 will arrive in your inbox next week. If you missed the first 10 predictions CLICK HERE.

11. Airfares will rise 35% – 50% by Memorial Day – If you think airfare prices are high right now just wait until all the newly negotiated labor wage increases are added on top of every new ticket price. Labor is the largest cost for airlines alongside fuel costs. If every labor union is as successful as the Delta pilots, we could see ticket prices skyrocket out of site in 2023.  The bottom line is this….If you are planning to travel this year the earlier you book your reservation the better the prices. 

12. Travel insurance is a must for travel in 2023 – One thing COVID taught travelers is that they will be able to protect their travel investment from things beyond their control. Both young and old need to face the same health risks when the next pandemic raises its head. For example, an international tour to Europe may cost $5000. What happens if you catch COVID the day before you leave on your trip? What about if your test comes back false positive? What happens when you catch COVID during your trip and test positive before returning home on the plane and have to isolate for 10 days? All these cases could cause you to lose thousands of dollars but can be covered by certain travel insurance programs. Even domestic travel should be covered with insurance as you could be out thousands of dollars if testing turns up positive.

13. Hotels will find ways to hide new fees if the government prohibits resort fees – Fighting new hotel fees is kind of like playing the game of Whack-a-mole. Last month the government said they planned to crack down on hotels charging resort/destination fees. Unfortunately, this may work for a few months, but we all know the hotels will come up with other ingenious ways to charge you more when you arrive at the hotel. Why do hotels treat their guests so poorly?

14. Great News! Prepare for a lot fewer travel hiccups in 2023 – Things should start to smooth out in the travel industry as travel begins to normalize in 2023. Airlines are adding new planes and flights every day. Shortages of supplies should be settled. Hotels are starting to build back their staffing levels and the business traveler is slowly climbing back into the saddle again. 2023 could see a few bumps in the road if the labor unions strike for more money but the other pieces of the puzzle are looking good. 

15. Airlines to offer free WiFi to members of their frequent flyer programs – Delta this past week was the first airline to announce they will soon offer free WiFi to their best customers. You can expect the other airlines to follow the lead of Delta. American Airlines was also generous last week when they announced they would offer free toilet paper on all flights (joke). Seriously, the one big issue around WiFi is that the quality of Wifi on United and some other airlines is very poor, and much more investment will need to be made by the airlines to provide the quality of WiFi that people expect. Three cheers for Delta!

16. Service onboard cruise ships will suffer in 2023 – Nobody got hit harder by the pandemic than the cruise industry. They literally were shut down for two years. I was on a short cruise during the week after Christmas and noticed a measurable decline in service onboard the ship. Thousands of crew members left the industry to find new jobs during the pandemic. Now many of the staff on the cruise ships have only a few weeks or months of service and are learning the ropes. It also appears that dining room service has also dropped a few steps as service staff appear to be covering many more tables thus resulting in a decline in the attention to detail that I have always loved about cruising. 

17. The two best months to travel to Europe are May and October – Great weather, fewer crowds, and great prices. If you are looking for the best time to visit Europe then these two months of May and October are the best for the three reasons mentioned above.

18. Expect baggage fees to go up in 2023 – After giving away billions of dollars in change fees you can expect airlines to look at every possible way to add more revenue to every flight. Fees to check in your bags are expected to rise as much as $10 to $50 on many airlines as they deal with lost revenue.  

19. Here comes Cuba again – New rules will open up travel again this year to Cuba. You recall Obama gave the green light to travel to Cuba. Trump gave the red light. I see a green light for travel to Cuba in the coming months as COVID subsides. I was able to travel twice to Cuba several years ago and I would love to go back. 

20. My new idea of a zippered pillowcase should go viral – Flying on an airplane is extremely uncomfortable. I hate wearing those hoky-neck braces as they seem to make matters worse. On a recent flight home last week I brainstormed about making a zippered pillowcase that I could use to pack light clothes like clean t-shirts and underwear and socks that could also be used as a soft pillow onboard the flight. The pillowcase would also have two handles on the side that would slide over my carry-on luggage handle and allow me to take on board the aircraft like another piece of carry-on. (Like a purse, etc.) This would also open up more room in my carry-on luggage for more shoes, etc. I plan to build a test model and see how it works but I am sure it will be the next hottest idea since apple pie. Please VOTE HERE to tell me if you like my idea.