Rising airfare, gas prices prompt Western Pennsylvanians to rethink travel

Many may alter their summer vacation plans.

By JOSH EWERS
TribLive

For some Western Pennsylvania residents, summer vacations may not feel like a breeze this year.

Many are finding travel costs significantly higher than last year, forcing some to shorten trips, change their destinations or cancel vacations altogether.

Over the last 12 months, the cost of gasoline increased by 28.4% and air fares rose by 20.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Supplemental costs like lodging, parking fees, tolls and full-service meals and snacks are up as well.

The conflict between Iran and the U.S. and Israel, with blockage at the Strait of Hormuz, has disrupted the global economy, raising fuel prices and altering some international flight paths. Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to raise global tensions.

In May, Spirit Airlines, one of the U.S.’s most affordable options for air travel across hundreds of flights, ceased all operations and left 17,000 people. Rising fuel prices, brought on by the war in Iran, were a major factor. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, that loss took a small percentage of available seats with it. Additionally, United Airlines cut seats by almost 5%.

In Europe, airlines face fuel shortages of around 500,000 barrels a day, according to Reuters, which has led to further cuts.

2026 American vacations by the numbers

A survey conducted by the U.S. News & World Report showed that by April, 65% of Americans had already altered their summer travel plans due to increasing prices, and 37% had changed travel plans due to the political climate.

Around 14% said they will no longer travel internationally, and 20% changed their domestic destinations.

“We have a lot of clients who used to go every year that are now taking the year off to see what happens,” said Shadyside Travel Agency owner Joseph Weigler. “The economic situation and the uncertainty all over cause people to have concern and pause.”

Still, around 67% of respondents planned to take one to two trips this summer and 30% planned to take three or more.

The rate of Americans who planned to travel internationally increased slightly from 2025, despite more than half indicating they were worried about their reception in other countries.

Locally, Weigler said the year so far has been defined by the notion of “less people, more dollar volume” as compared to previous years during the same time period.

“I’ll be quite honest, there’s less people calling and asking for information and booking trips, but the ones that are paying really a lot, lot more than what our usual average used to be,” said Weigler. “It might be fewer people, but they’re booking higher-end stuff now.”

Around 47% of respondents planned to pay with savings or out-of-pocket for their vacations, 31.5% with credit and 11.1% with travel rewards.

While many wealthy families can afford to continue to pay for vacations at elevated prices, Weigler said the average American is feeling the heat.

“[Cost has] been a problem, and that’s affected a number of people’s decision on where to go or not to go whatsoever,” said Weigler. “The average traveler is either paying less or going for less time — instead of going away for a week, it’s let me go for four or five days. And some people are just knocking it out of the box entirely, trying to hold on.”

Weigler cited a weeklong trip to Aruba, which he said just a couple of months ago used to cost $4,000 to $4,500. Now, he said, it costs $6,000 to $6,500.

But no one, he said, has been fully insulated.

“We have a list of our top clients. It’s about 200 people who spend on good-sized vacations, and I would say almost half of them are skipping this year,” said Weigler.

Still, there is some room for optimism. Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, AAA had predicted a record 45 million would travel more than 50 miles from home for festivities and family. It’s unclear whether that mark was hit.

In terms of air travel volume, despite Spirit’s collapse and increased fares across the country, Allegheny Airport Authority officials say it’s been business as usual at Pittsburgh International Airport.

“In terms of passenger traffic, we’re about flat. We’re about exactly where we were last year in terms of passengers traveled through April,” said Bob Kerlik, vice president of media relations for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Volume, he said, is only “slightly down” year to date from 2024’s record-breaking mark in the era since the airport ceased being a US Airways hub in 2004.

Officials say there has been ample investment in backfilling for the loss of Spirit Airlines.

“We’ve been encouraged to see airlines over the past several weeks, several months, continuing to add service in spite of some of the challenges that we’ve seen with Spirit,” said Joe Rotterdam, vice president of air service development.

That, he said, is in spite of fuel cost challenges. Fuel and labor are typically an airlines’s two highest costs. As of June 4, the national average price of jet fuel sat at $3.30 per gallon, according to Airlines for America. That’s up from about $2.22 in June 2025.

“Fuel prices are nearly double what they were to start this year,” said Rotterdam.

Due to those inflated costs, some airlines have made adjustments that will affect Western Pennsylvanians.

American Airlines is pausing its Los Angeles-Pittsburgh route between early August and early October. Rotterdam noted that American is doing the same for L.A. flights to Columbus and Cleveland.

“That’s just one example that we’re seeing, where longer- haul flying in what we call the shoulder season — the slower time of the year, that late August-September period that’s a little bit slower than you see in peak summer — where they’re making some adjustments to their schedules based on fuel prices.”

At least for now, both officials expressed “cautious optimism” in waiting to see how the summer, Pittsburgh International’s first with its new terminal, shakes out.

“It’s fair to say we are still understanding how and if it’s going to be different, because we’re just kicking off that summer travel season,” said Rotterdam. “And by and large, for the summer, our capacity, the seats that the airline schedule here in Pittsburgh, is quite similar to where it was through the summer of last year.”

Back on the ground, with June ramping into its full sweltering swing, Weigler could offer no prediction on when things might normalize for travelers booking his firm’s services.

“I find it’s almost impossible to predict with the world and the way everything’s going right now,” said Weigler. “As long as that war’s gonna keep going on and the prices are going to keep escalating for everyday products. Look at the gasoline from this year to last year. It’s almost impossible to predict this thing. The conflict has to end for things to get more normalized.”