Hiked flight prices are a "global phenomenon" but they will pass with time, a travel agency executive told Breakfast this morning.
David Coombes, managing director of Flight Centre NZ, called the current situation a "perfect storm".
"It's no secret...it is expensive to fly at the moment and I think the biggest thing is, it's like anything in our world, it's supply and demand," he said. "And there's far less supply for airline seats and airline capacity than there was pre-Covid."
He said airlines are struggling to get the staff to operate planes put in storage when the pandemic broke out.
"It's staff and it's not like just turning the key on your car either when you take an aircraft out of storage, there's a lot that needs to be done to get it done, so there's that.
"And we all know when we fill our car that fuel's expensive. Well, aircraft use a lot of fuel, so there are a lot of factors but the biggest factor is...there are more people wanting to travel than there is availability on the aircraft," Coombes said.
He added that the issue is "a global phenomenon", but said some other countries have seen prices start to come down.
"So it's a matter of time, this will change, this dynamic, and we can learn from other markets but at the moment we're in it."
When asked what Kiwis can be doing to get the best possible deal, Coombes said comparing options and getting in early are key, but stressed he "firmly" believes fares will return to pre-Covid levels.
"There's plenty of aircraft and airlines out there to come back into the ecosystem...we'll absolutely get back there."
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