High gas prices, inflation not stopping summer travel

(NewsNation) — Despite sky-rocketing prices from everything to fuel to find, high prices aren’t stopping people from traveling to make up for lost time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Triple A, at least 42 million Americans are expected to hit the roads over the Fourth of July weekend, although gas prices top an average of $5 per gallon. And even with airline ticket prices going through the roof, and airports are packed, more than 2 million people have moved through TSA checkpoints a day, according to the agency.

That’s almost back up to pre-pandemic levels. And earlier this year, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said current travel demand was the strongest it has been in 30 years despite surging inflation. Delta Air Lines’ Chief Executive Ed Bastian earlier this month echoed this sentiment, telling a conference demand is “off the charts,” per Reuters.

NPR reports that American travel to Europe alone will jump up 600% from last year.

There’s a term for all this vacationing: it’s called “revenge travel,” described by industry professionals as a huge increase in people wanting to make up for lost time and experiences due to COVID, according to NPR.

Still, those traveling this summer might encounter some issues stemming from staffing shortages that happened as travel bounced back faster than expected from pandemic lows. Airlines are struggling to hire pilots and other employees to replace those who quit when the pandemic first hit.