Global leisure and business flights have surpassed 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic.
That’s according to the recently-released Mastercard Economic Institute’s travel report titled, Travel 2022: Trends & Transitions.
Photo by Suhyeon Choi from Unsplash
The report found that by the end of March 2022, business flight bookings surpassed 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic hit, marking a major milestone for those airlines that rely on frequent flyer passengers.
This is a huge uptick from the start of 2022, as business flight bookings were only at half of pre-pandemic levels then.
The data collected from the report showed that business flights will continue to surpass pre-pandemic levels through 2022.
The report also found an “unprecedented surge in international flight bookings.”
According to the data, long-haul flight bookings in 2022 started out rough – 75 per cent below 2019 levels. However, in less than three months, those bookings approached 2019 levels. Domestic travel, on the other hand, continues to remain robust, exceeding 2019 levels easily.
“Just as the travel rollback of 2020 was monumental in its regression, 2022 is slated to come full circle with another unthinkable travel transition: triumph,” the report reads.
To read the full report, you can click here.
Leave a Reply