Kyle Potter, the editor of Thrifty Traveler, shares insights into the ever-changing world of airfare trends, emphasizing the rising opportunities for premium travel on a budget. He discusses the evolving landscape of award travel and offers a glimpse into future travel predictions for 2025. Kyle also recounts a touching story from his trip to Hanoi, illustrating the magic of human connections while traveling. Plus, he highlights the benefits of Thrifty Traveler Premium, showcasing how it helps savvy travelers snag the best deals.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Trevor's Dream Trip
Trevor Mountcastle describes his ideal trip to Australia, involving specific flights and lounge visits.
He jokingly asks Kyle Potter if it's optimized enough, adding a humorous element about traveling with a giraffe.
insights INSIGHT
September Airfare Cliff
Kyle Potter analyzes TSA passenger volumes, noting a significant drop-off in early to mid-September.
He attributes this to seasonality, storms, and the election but is surprised travel hasn't plateaued.
insights INSIGHT
Regional Airfare Trends
Tom Kim discusses regional differences in airfare trends, noting the over-capacity on international routes, especially to Europe.
He also points out the under-capacity in the domestic market, possibly due to struggling ULCCs.
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The travel space is constantly evolving, and the way in which airlines handle rewards systems is no different. Today on Travel Stories, we are joined by Thrifty Traveler editor Kyle Potter to discuss the miles and points game, airfare trends, and becoming a premium Thrifty Traveler. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Kyle’s career, the air revenue trends Kyle has noticed, what’s happening in travel awards, and more! We delve into the world of miles and points as Kyle shares his perspective on the trends before discussing why travelers playing this game can be optimistic about future benefits. He even shares a story from his trip to Hanoi, discusses his 2025 travel predictions, and talks about great travel tools. Finally, our guest tells us about Thrifty Traveler Premium and the benefits of this service. Thanks for listening!
Key Points From This Episode:
[02:36] A warm introduction to today’s guest, Kyle Potter.
[05:35] What Kyle is seeing in airfare trends today.
[12:48] The changes that are happening in the award travel spaces.
[18:27] A reminder that the world of miles and points travelers is really small.
[25:45] What Kyle thinks is causing trends from reward perspectives.
[29:24] The optimistic side of how airlines react to miles and points ‘millionaires’.
[33:07] Kyle shares a memorable travel story from his trip to Hanoi.
[39:45] What Kyle sees happening in travel in 2025 and his opinion on change fees.
[44:48] The award tools that Kyle thinks are good and why he prefers manual search.
[50:00] Kyle talks about Thrifty Traveler Premium, what they offer, and the cost of it.
Quotes:
“Travel can’t grow forever. – Things are going to plateau at some point but they really haven’t yet.” — @kpottermn[7:43]
“I still think we’ve got some good runway here for cheap domestic travel.” — @kpottermn[12:09]
“Many airlines out there have wised up to just how much they’re giving away to people who have points to play with.” — @kpottermn[27:39]
Milenomics ² Podcast - No Annual Fee Edition