But this year so far, customers are still flying. Last month, the Southwest Airlines C.E.O., Bob Jordan, said the company had pushed seven fare increases since February but had seen “no drop-off in demand.”
Some of that may be thanks to the powerful draw of summer travel, said Conor Cunningham, an airlines and travel analyst at the investment firm Melius Research.
“Summer tends to find a way,” he said, adding that those who have the money to travel are still booking flights. Although most flight cost indexes track economy class prices, Mr. Cunningham and others have noted prices for premium seats have grown even faster.
Aktarer Zaman, Skiplagged’s founder, said his site gets the most visitors when prices are high. People are more likely to set price alerts during times of elevated prices and wait to book until they receive an alert for a price drop, he added.
These alerts may not arrive soon.
With an Iran truce in place, fuel prices are down about 35 percent compared with April’s peak. But they are still higher than they were at the beginning of the year, and whether fares will follow the fuel prices is an open question. Airlines are reluctant to lower prices unless forced to by competition, according to Robert Mann, an industry consultant and a former airline executive. The demise of the budget airline Spirit means that prices may come down even more slowly, he added.