There was a time before the pandemic when winter-weary Minnesotans could book an affordable last-minute getaway to warmer weather at an affordable price.
Last week’s messy dumping of snow across the state may have sparked similar thoughts in people desperate to get away somewhere, anywhere, even just to thaw for a little while.
Among them was Cheyenne Lindell, from Osceola, Wisconsin, who boarded a Sun Country flight to Sarasota, Florida, booked last month on Friday.
“It’s warm and humid over there. I’ll put up with it,” she said.
Coon Rapids grandmother and fellow traveler Cherry Rosenwald summed up the reasons for fleeing:
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed air travel in Minneapolis-St. Louis. Paul International Airport and beyond, perhaps forever. Inflation is driving up the cost of flights and accommodations, flights are filling up and travelers are getting creative about where they land. Minnesotans are booking winter vacations at a breakneck pace, according to travel pros, but they don’t always go to the beach or desert.
Linda Snyder, vice president of travel and retail services at AAA Minneapolis, expects bookings this year to reach or exceed 2019, seeing more interest in international travel than before the pandemic. increase.
“Retired people who travel a lot become gangbusters,” Snyder said. “People are booking like crazy.”
When it snowed last week, AAA’s travel agency was surprised to receive a phone call from a traveler who had booked an Alaska cruise later this year. Europe also remains a top destination as people make up for canceled vacations.
“Winter holidays are pretty steady, but not like they were many years ago,” she said. .”
The family is increasingly interested in trips to Patagonia and the Galapagos Islands, said Jordan Harvey, co-owner of Minneapolis-based Nomad Adventures, which specializes in trips to South America.
“People tell me if they’re going to travel, they want something big and cool,” Harvey said.
Cost savings for travel to Mexico and the Caribbean are no different when cheaper charters from MSPs become more widely available. That’s why some travelers choose an all-inclusive cruise over a short vacation to Phoenix or Austin, Texas. Her Myers fans are heading to Sarasota or the Florida Panhandle instead.
“People are talking about recessions and whether there will be recessions,” Snyder said. “People still want to spend money on travel.”
However, those who choose to book a last-minute vacation are likely to pay more.
Nationwide airfares are nearly 20% higher than last year, and hotel rates are more than 50% higher than January 2022, according to travel website Hopper. pandemic level.
“Nationally, airfare appears to be holding back a bit,” said Henry Hartveldt, a travel industry analyst at San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group.
“The presence of low-fare carriers such as Sun Country, Frontier and Spirit at MSP should help keep some leisure airfares in check,” said Mr.
Makeup travel gains momentum
The pandemic has seen air travel plummet as Minnesotans stay home and work remotely. But those who are tired of being trapped are returning to the skies.
Last year, MSPs aggregated nearly 32 million passengers, a 24% jump over 2021 and reaching almost 80% of pre-pandemic levels. The resumption of business trips has been delayed.
Florida was the top MSP destination in the first quarter, followed by California and Arizona, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates the airport. Of the top 10 departure cities from January to March, eight are warmer than Minnesota.
A Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said the airline expanded its winter/spring leisure portfolio from MSP by 15% in 2019. The MSP dominant carrier also saw increased demand to Hawaii. Delta is the only airline with daily non-stop flights from MSP to Honolulu.
Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines reported a “meaningful spike” in bookings during Wednesday and Thursday’s storms. The most popular destination for snow-weary Minnesotans is still “Cancun, Cancun, Cancun,” said Sun Country spokeswoman Wendy Bart.
Most of the leisure airline’s warm-weather destinations are booked at or above 2019 levels, and Sun Country has added service to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Grand Cayman and Melbourne, Florida. The airline also increased capacity from MSP to Florida next month by 10% compared to last year, serving 12 Florida destinations. “Because Midwesterners love Florida,” Burt says.
Burt warns that booking trips for the next six weeks (peak season in the Sun Country) will result in higher prices due to higher demand and higher fuel costs.
“Instead, if we can get through the rest of the winter here, we can wait to travel until Easter/mid-April, when the spring break season has peaked,” she said.
Organized Trip Planners Win
Travelers who plan and book well in advance tend to find the best deals.
Jim Welsh of Minneapolis started planning his first big post-COVID trip to Mexico last September. He booked flights to Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Puerto Vallarta, who had been watching last week’s snowstorm from afar.
“The end of the Minnesota winter helped with the timing,” Welsh said. I know. Thankfully, Mexico is still an inexpensive place to vacation.”
Still, given the current situation in Minnesota, “we already know that three nights here won’t be enough,” he said.
Eden Prairie’s Jim Perkins and his wife, Sandy Bjornstad Perkins, rebooked their Captiva Island, Florida condo for this winter shortly after leaving last year. And their flight reservations weren’t too late.
“It’s winter every year,” Jim Perkins said from his beachside residence last week.
