Will 2009 Offer Fliers Deep Deals?

Oct. 22, 2008 — -- Here's an awesome statistic: Over the past 20 years, more than 100 million new passengers in the United States have been introduced to the convenience of air travel.

The catalyst for all this growth? Mainly, the relative prosperity of the United States coupled with the computer generation that fostered more efficient aircraft designs -- and let us not forget modern reservation systems, low-cost carriers, self-serve Internet booking and intense competition.

However, those wild growth days are gone -- at least for now.

Next year will usher in the era of air travel uncertainty -- with passengers and airline executives asking such questions as "Will the Dow be at 7,000 or 12,000?" or "Will oil be $50 or $150 a barrel?" The answers to these questions will play a large role in whether air travel ends up being affordable for most of us or a mode of travel mostly for the elite.

We do know this much: The pain of losing more than a decade of domestic U.S. aviation growth by the end of the year will be felt for the next decade. Airlines, their survival instincts kicking in, began slashing domestic flights this summer as oil prices appeared to be heading north of $150 for the foreseeable future.

But then, in a few short months, fuel prices dropped by half and U.S. airlines appeared on the brink of recovery. But of course, that didn't last thanks to the global economic disaster that may well dwarf the effects of any oil crisis.

So, given that we are in for some tumultuous economic times, and that oil appears to be settling in closer to $70 a barrel (instead of twice that amount), here are some of the air travel trends I expect to see in 2009:

Cheaper European Travel

While U.S. airlines have been steadily pulling seats from their domestic route systems in the past few years, they have also been progressively adding seats on more lucrative trans-oceanic routes.

More seats equals cheaper ticket prices.

The recent strengthening of the dollar against European currencies should also make lodging and activities more palatable for U.S. travelers (unfortunately for Europeans, the reverse is true for inbound flights).