Pope Francis’ funeral It could be a boon for the airline, but it’s a pain for travelers.
As the late Pope Located in the province of St. Peter’s Basilica Before the funeral at St. Peter’s Cathedral on Saturday, April 26th, Americans are looking for a flight to pay direct respect. Flight search to Rome skyrocketed 250% over the Pope’s three days Francis’ death Comparing searches over the same period in 2024 on Monday, according to travel booking site expedia.com.
Searching for accommodation in Rome via fare aggregators also rose 35% on the same day on the same date. According to Expedia, US residents are primarily exploding demand for travel to Rome, but global searches from other countries have also increased by 125%.
“I can’t imagine any other event that caused such a sudden surge in travel searches,” Expedia travel expert Melanie Fish told CBS Money Watch. “And it’s not just a flight search. It’s also a accommodation search, and it’s clear why it’s caused by travel days.”
Scott Keyes, founder and CEO of Flight Deals website Going.com, said search interest for a trip to Rome on April 21-23 was almost tripled from the Pope’s death compared to the previous three days.
According to Going.com, for tourists considering booking an aunt to Italy, the bad news is that the surge in demand for the fight to Rome is driving airfares. For flights from the US to Rome from April 22 to April 25 to April 27 to April 30, airfares up about 33% from Pope Francis’ death.
Fish notes that ticket prices are closest to normal travel days, and Expedia expects flights to Rome to rise as they approach Friday. That’s partly because airlines can’t add capacity immediately despite increased demand, she pointed out. “So what you can see is the busy flights and prices of today and tomorrow.”
