Lower Airfares Are Pushing 2026 Travel Beyond the Usual Cities
Easing airfares and new routes are expanding the list of cities drawing 2026 travel interest.
Photo: Peter Schulz / Unsplash
Lower airfares and expanding air access are quietly changing what makes sense to book for 2026.
According to new search data released by Kayak, travelers are looking beyond the usual short list of global cities and showing growing interest in destinations that benefit from improved connectivity and lower price thresholds, which opens the door to more varied routing, longer stays, and less predictable city combinations.
Kayak reports overall travel interest up 9% year over year, with domestic airfares down an average of 3% and international fares dropping roughly 10%. For planners, that combination opens up routing and destination flexibility that has been constrained since the post-pandemic rebound. “Lower fares and rising interest mean travelers can stretch their budgets further in 2026,” a Kayak spokesperson said, citing new routes and expanded access as key drivers.
Europe anchors the forecast, but not in its usual form. Eastern Europe dominates the list of fastest-growing destinations, accounting for seven of the top 10. Prague leads with a 180% increase in search interest, followed by Sofia, Krakow, and Budapest. Tirana and Sarajevo also appear high on the list. These cities benefit from a convergence of factors: lower average fares, improving air access, and appealing alternatives to saturated Western European hubs.
Sarajevo, in particular, illustrates the pricing shift. Average airfares there are down 36% year over year, the steepest decline in Kayak’s analysis. Split follows at 33%, with Naples and Florence each down 26%, a reminder that even well-established destinations are seeing meaningful price corrections.
Long-haul demand is also broadening geographically. Christchurch, New Zealand, ranks as the fastest-growing destination for U.S. travelers, with flight interest up 194%. New nonstop services to the South Island have reduced travel friction, bringing a destination once viewed as aspirational but distant into more practical consideration for 2026 itineraries.
Event-driven travel remains a secondary, but essential, force. Milan has seen a 15% increase in flight searches ahead of the 2026 Winter Games, while Kansas City’s interest is up 14%, tied to its role as a host city for the World Cup. Las Vegas, after a softer 2025, has rebounded with an 18% rise in flight searches.
Looking ahead to peak season, early summer 2026 searches are already up 9% year over year. International airfare for that period is tracking 12% lower, with Asia and Europe both down double digits. The Middle East stands out on the demand side, with summer search interest up 35% as new routes continue to come online.
The forecast draws on Kayak’s search data from April through September 2025 for 2026 travel, with additional summer analysis extending through mid-November.
