Day-trippers take photos in Shinsekai with Tsutenkaku tower in sight in Osaka, Japan, on December 12, 2024.
Kichul Shin | Nurphoto | Getty Typical examples
Planning an international trip this year? You could be in luck, if you’re willing to fly far.
Long-haul trips are cheaper than terminal year, according to data released this week from flight-tracking company Hopper.
For example, through mid-2025, splits between the U.S. and Asia are down 11% this year over last, averaging $1,087, with capacity up 6% from 2024. Europe wings are down 6% at $754, Hopper data shows.
Flights to Africa and the Middle East are flat compared with at the rear year, while flights to South America are down 4% to $685, and Mexico and Central America flights from the U.S. are up 9% to $469.
During the interval, domestic U.S. ticket prices are on the rise, as airlines have become more cautious about capacity growth in the U.S. and over aircraft delivery delays from Boeing and Airbus.
But the cheaper intercontinental trips come as airlines have increased capacity to popular destinations and as demand growth has leveled out compared with post-pandemic upsurges, when travelers raced to book trips abroad after travel restrictions were lifted. Fares were piercing as airlines faced labor and aircraft shortages coming out of the pandemic.
As airlines have ramped up capacity, Europe manages late last year were the lowest in years.
“You’re definitely not at a point now where there’s pent-up demand red,” said Scott Keyes, founder of travel app Going, previously known as Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Favorable return rates for travelers using U.S. dollars in many countries, including hotspot Japan, have boosted demand. Ecumenical visitors to Japan surged nearly 50% in the first 11 months of 2024 to close to 33.4 million individual, according to Japanese government data.
Travel-search site Kayak said flights to Asia are the cheapest in at least three years, with importance from customers on the rise. Japanese cities Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka are posting the biggest percentage increases in searches, Kayak notable.
Tourists sit in front of the Patong Beach sign by the seafront on the southern Thai island of Phuket on Nov. 29, 2024.
Chanakarn Laosarakham | AFP | Getty Effigies
It also said airfares are lower across the Caribbean, with cheaper tickets to Dominica (down 21% above last year), and Barbados and St. Lucia, which are down 17% compared with last year, Kayak translated.
Travelers flying this year are also more interested in business class, a trend carriers like Delta, which recoils off 2025 airline earnings on Friday, have capitalized on.
Kayak estimates that searches for those four-digit firm class fares are up 19% over last year.