Plan ahead now. It’s going to be a busy summer of travel at Dallas Love Field, DFW Airport

Summer is approaching and Dallas Love Field and DFW International Airport will soon be filled with travelers passing through or heading to and from North Texas for vacation.

It’s “back to business as usual,” when it comes to airline pricing, said Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel app Hopper. Prices are in line or below last year and pre-pandemic levels she said, noting the travel app anticipates airfare for late May and early June at around $313 a ticket roundtrip. In 2022, that price was closer to $400 roundtrip

“When we hear the airlines say things like ‘efficiency and profitability’ it actually can be good for consumers because it doesn’t necessarily mean increasing prices, it can mean putting a more fuel-efficient jet on a route,” Berg said.

This year, airlines are “talking a big game” about travel demand, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. Just last month at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told attendees that travel demand is stronger than ever.

Rossman and Bankrate conducted a survey that found over 1 in 3 people are willing to take on some travel debt this year.

“There is sort of that, ‘You only live once’ kind of attitude that I think was accentuated by COVID, but was probably there even beforehand,” Rossman said.

“It’s kind of all about champagne travel on a beer budget,” he said.

At Love Field, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is flying 15,278 flights from May 26 to August 10, with over 2.4 million seats available. That’s an increase from 2019, when the Dallas-based airline flew 14,473 flights and had over 2.1 million seats available, according to Cirium.

Officials at Love Field predict an average of 20,000 to 25,000 passengers coming through the airport daily between departures and arrivals. That number is likely to fluctuate but will increase during the summer holidays.

Love Field’s busiest travel days are Aug. 4, June 9, June 16, June 23 and July 7, where the most travelers will be present based on the number of seats available, according to Cirium.

At DFW Airport, American Airlines is also flying more flights from May 26 to Aug. 10, with 68,754 flights and over 9.5 million seats available. That’s 1,900 flights and a million passengers more than in 2019.

American is also flying to eight destinations in summer 2024 that the airline had not served in summer 2023, including Albany, N.Y.; Appleton, Wisc.; Manhattan, Kan.; Redmond, Ore.; St. George, Utah; Tulum and Veracruz, Mexico; and Barcelona.

This year, DFW’s top five busiest days to travel will be July 8, July 25, July 29, Aug. 1 and July 7, based on the number of flights flown and the number of seats available, according to Cirium.

Increased capacity at the airlines has been a trend in recent years, as airlines with a variety of planes, such as American, are using larger planes to fly more people to popular destinations. There have also been delays in deliveries with aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co., leading the airlines to seek other options for peak travel periods.

This year, Berg said, there’s a behavior shift as people come out of the pandemic. Experiential travel is more interesting to passengers and more money is being spent on these experiences.

Some trending domestic destinations, based on Hopper’s data, include small destinations like Hyannis, Mass.; Bar Harbor, Maine; and Cody, Wyo. These destinations in the U.S. are all trending due to their access to beaches, national parks and other outdoor adventures, Berg said.

If you’re traveling this summer, book now and book quick, according to Christie Hudson, Expedia travel expert. She said Expedia found that travelers need to book one to two months ahead.

“There really is a sweet spot,” Hudson said.