Researcher says airline bookings dip as fares keep rising

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Airfares are rising as we head into summer, and that could be leading to a slight slowdown in ticket sales. Research firm Adobe Digital Insights said Tuesday that fares in May rose 6% over April, and 30% over May 2019. That’s the fourth straight month in which fares are above pre-pandemic levels. The research firm says airline bookings in May for flights inside the U.S. were down 2.3% in May, compared with April. But the value of those sales is still rising because of higher prices. Adobe’s lead analyst, Vivek Pandya, says the numbers show that some consumers can handle the higher fares, but others are thinking twice.