After 2023 saw the cost of flying in Switzerland skyrocket, there are now signs that the tide may be turning: according to a new study by Kayak, the cost of flying out of Swiss airports in 2024 will be cheaper than the year before.
Following the end of most COVID restrictions in 2022, the airline industry across the world has been beset with challenges. Airlines faced a lethal combination of staff shortages, higher costs, and a sudden and largely unpredicted rise in demand once the world reopened after the pandemic.
This led to disruption and far higher ticket prices in both 2022 and 2023. Kayak noted that by September 2023, the cost of flying in economy class had risen by 10 percent compared to the same time the year before. For business class, ticket prices had risen by 20 percent. According to SWISS’ own figures, their tickets were 15 to 20 percent more expensive in 2023 than in 2019, leading many to suggest that the era of low-cost flights was over.
Now, according to Kayak, the cost of flying is finally expected to fall in Switzerland. They predicted that between May and September 2024, the average cost of a return flight in economy class from Switzerland will be 549 francs, 2 percent less than the same time the year before. While tickets are still quite expensive compared to pre-COVID prices, they are at the lowest level seen since the pandemic began.
The benefits will be most felt at airlines that offer premium economy, with prices in the class expected to be 9 percent lower than last year, while business class costs will drop by 5 percent. In fact, the only class of travel that will see prices rise in 2024 is first class, where the average cost of a return ticket will be 9.444 francs, 14 percent more than last year.
This confirms a prediction made by the now-outgoing SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx, who told Watson back in September 2023 that “flying should be cheaper next year.” When asked why, he argued that higher passenger demand had led to an extremely competitive market, where every airline has had to cut ticket prices.
Along with the predictions, Kayak also shared some money-saving tips for those going on their holidays this summer. First, they advised that travellers should try to benefit from journeys with one stopover, as they are typically cheaper to book than direct connections.
However, bookers have to find the right balance; if the destination is too close, the loss in time connecting could make the cost-saving less beneficial. Therefore, Kayak recommended that travellers only take a deliberate stopover if their final destination is further away from Zurich or Geneva than New York. On the flip side, the site advised against more than one connection, as this increases the chance of delays and bags being lost.
Kayak concluded that fundamentally, travellers will have to ask some tough questions to get the very cheapest deal: Do you need luggage, can you risk an airline where cancellations are likely and can you afford to take a slower route to your destination?
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