Business Forum • 6 September, 2024 at 12:29 PM
The number of passengers who flew from Romania to New York using Kiwi.com increased 4 times this year, between June, when direct flights started being available, and the end of August, compared to the same period in 2023. Overall, on average, the number of passengers who flew from Romania to New York on a weekly basis, is more than five times larger than before.
A way to see that the direct flight had a visible impact on Romanians' travels is the fact that the number of seats sold increased by over 200%. Why does this number matter? When traveling with a layover, every flight along the way counts as a seat, but still one passenger - this means that the number of passengers, correlated to that of the seats booked, shows a preference for direct flights.
The share of flights booked using Kiwi.com's Virtual Interlining system increased by 80%, when looking at the same periods from this year and last. The number says that more passengers used a single airline to get from Romania to New York, which also indicates that passengers prefer direct flights.
Moreover, since direct flights became available, prices got better, averaging €458 for this summer, a 20% decrease compared to last year's prices. And since they're saving on their flights, Romanians decided to spend more time at their destination: 24 days, on average, compared to 19 last summer.
For those with New York on their bucket list, flights to New York on Kiwi.com start from €529 for direct flights and around €350 for flights from Bucharest involving a layover. For travelers from Iași who do not mind layovers, prices begin at €375, while for those traveling from Cluj, at €329.