There are many ways that people are trying to determine if travel in the U.S. has recovered. Some people closely track the TSA checkpoint numbers to see how many people are flying. Others are looking to the airlines and which routes they are adding, or canceling, to see if there is more demand for air travel. Another way to judge is the hotel occupancy rates, which are dismally low.
However, there was only one metric I needed to tell me that industry insiders know that travel hasn’t yet recovered. The travel reservation website TripIt just let us all know they see travel isn’t anywhere near where it used to be.
Back in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, TripIt extended the membership of all their Pro subscribers for an additional six months. Here’s the email they sent to their members at the time:
In response to increasing schedule changes and cancellations stemming from COVID-19, we want to do our part to help you stay as informed as possible when you travel.
As an existing TripIt Pro user, we’re automatically extending your subscription for an additional six months at no additional charge.
If there’s anyplace that can see how travel is recovering, it would be TripIt. I’m sure that they’ve noticed I’ve canceled my trip to Japan and have added reservations for a night at the beach and a long weekend at the Georgia mountains. There are no flights or rental cars in my account. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
That’s why I was happy and sad to see this email:
TripIt is extending all of its Pro memberships through the end of 2020. I have a total of two trips planned for the rest of the year, and both are road trips. Therefore, I don’t need TripIt Pro. Maybe by the beginning of 2021, I’ll start making flight reservations for later in the year. I’m not sure if I’ll want to pay to renew my membership but I’m glad to see that they understand the situation a large number of their members are in.
If I had to pay to renew my membership, I’m quite sure I’d cancel it. Getting an extension means there’s a greater chance I’ll renew when the time comes.
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and get emailed notifications of when we post. Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group – we have 15,000+ members and we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
