Czechs flew more once again. Ticket sales rose by more than seven percent over the previous year. The greatest interest was in low-cost airline tickets. The most popular were connections to Paris, London or Amsterdam, but there is also growing interested in exotic destinations. This stems from information from ticket sellers. According to them, however, this year may increase the price of tickets, which may affect the interest in flights.
The highest interest in tickets as of last year was in the spring. In the first half of the year, the Letuška.cz ticket portal, operated by Asiana company, saw sales increased by up to 14 percent. The increase in sales has slightly declined in the second half of the year. The greatest interest during the spring months was also confirmed by the competing Student Agency. Customers often buy air tickets several months in advance. On the contrary, more expensive tickets to long-haul destinations were more popular.
Last year’s sales growth was not affected by the forced suspension of the problematic Boeing 737 MAX. Last year’s air accident and the subsequent suspension of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft affected short-term interest in tickets. The planes were suspended worldwide after two accidents in Malaysia and Ethiopia. According to Věra Janičinová, the director of the Student Agency’s ticket department, the March accident in Ethiopia slightly influenced ticket sales, but the overall annual sales have not been affected.
On the other hand, the average ticket sale price did not change much. The average ticket sale price at Student Agency was 9500 CZK in 2019. Compared to 2010, however, the average price is approximately 2000 CZK lower. The reason for lowering prices is mainly the increased number of flights served by low-cost carriers.
These flights continued to be super popular even in the last year. According to Student Agency, sales of these tickets increased by 8 percent on a year-on-year basis, and some routes, for example, between Prague and Paris, even by 40 percent. “We expect this trend to continue at the beginning of the new decade,” said Vera Janicinova. Josef Trejbal, the head of Letuška.cz, also confirmed their interest in low-cost flights. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the most expensive ticket from San Francisco to Prague has cost CZK 450,000.
However, several factors may affect the price of the following year´s tickets. According to Trejbal, the continuing crisis with the shutdown of the Boeings or increasing environmental pressures may lead to price increases. “We recommend passengers not to delay buying tickets for this year,” he added.