What will holiday travel look like this year? 🦃✈️

Good morning and welcome to round 2 of The Navigator by Dollar Flight Club launch week!

Halloween is over, the weather is cooling, and Mariah Carey is violently smashing pumpkins to let us know that the holiday season is closer than we think. With that in mind this morning, we're taking a closer look at what you can expect from holiday travel this year.

In today's edition:

How fuel costs, staffing shortages, and TSA vaccination rates could impact your upcoming travel plans
Your next rental car could be a Tesla as Hertz goes all-in on the electric vehicle hype
Israel, Cuba, and Chile are the latest countries to lift entry restrictions

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Long lines, higher fares, and crowded airports are all expected parts of the holiday travel experience in normal years. Of course, travel still isn't back to pre-pandemic levels – but it is improving. Here are a few things that could bring the not-so-fun side of travel back this holiday season.

Cancelations and labor shortages
Just a few weeks after Southwest’s cancelation meltdown, American Airlines experienced similar issues and canceled 1,800+ flights this past weekend. Back in August, Spirit Airlines was forced to cancel roughly 1,700 flights in one week.

The common theme? Each incident was an example of airlines struggling to overcome setbacks due to being severely understaffed.

Fortunately, airlines are preparing for the increased travel demand during the holiday season. Southwest Airlines, Spirit, and American have each reduced their schedules ahead of the holidays to avoid spreading their staff too thin – which ultimately means fewer flights available.

Airlines are also making moves to increase hiring. American Airlines had nearly 1,800 flight attendants return to work this week and plans to add 4,000 new pilots and agents by year’s end.

Still, with this recent stretch of widespread cancelations across the industry, you'll want to invest in travel protection* to cover that upcoming vacation and make sure that you have a buffer day or two on either end of your trip.

The TSA is lagging in vaccination status
November 22 is the vaccination deadline for federal government workers. 2 weeks ago, we learned that the TSA is still quite a long way from reaching that goal with just 60% of their workforce vaccinated. While there has almost certainly been progress made since the last update, it’s a situation that could have a sizable impact on holiday travel, as reduced TSA staff would almost certainly increase airport wait times.

Flight prices
Finally, thanks to fewer flights, rising fuel costs, and increased demand, experts across the travel industry are expecting flight prices to rise as much as 18% over the next 2 months – so you’re gonna want to lock in those tickets ASAP.

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Last week, Hertz announced that it had placed an order for 100,000 Teslas. It’s the largest single purchase of electronic vehicles ever, according to Bloomberg News.

While Hertz expects to receive the full fleet by the end of 2022, customers can rent a Tesla Model 3 as early as this month in major US markets and select European cities, according to a Hertz press release.

In true Tesla fashion, the deal that sent Tesla’s stock soaring after its announcement has come with a side of some bizarre drama. On Monday, Elon Musk tweeted that no contract had been signed yet. Hertz quickly released a statement reaffirming that Tesla deliveries had already begun.

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