High airline ticket prices, driven by the soaring cost of jet fuel, are causing travelers to use their loyalty points to afford trips. Aliera Iheanacho, who had been saving her United Airlines miles for a first-class trip, used over 60,000 miles for a one-way airfare to China and another 60,000 miles for hotels.

Increased Demand for Award Travel

Industry experts have observed an increase in travelers using their loyalty points to book flights. According to Chris Lopinto, CEO of seats.aero, searches for award travel were up 45% in April, May, and June compared to the same period last year. However, booking clicks were only up 27%, indicating that travelers are having a harder time finding available award seats.

Rina Patel, who used to save her miles for international trips, has started using them for domestic flights due to high airfare prices. She used online calculators to determine whether to use cash or miles for her trips and found that using miles was more cost-effective for some of her flights.

Flexibility is Key

Travelers need to be flexible when using their loyalty points to book flights. Lopinto advises travelers to be open to different travel dates and routes to find available award seats. Regina Lee, a college sports fan, used her miles to book a flight to watch her team play in Arkansas and found that flying on cheaper dates required her to extend her trip and stay at a friend’s house.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.