Nov 11, 2026 · 27 min
Travel friction keeps airfare and tourism under pressure
Will Airfare Prices Ever Fall? (ft. U.S. Travel Association CEO, Geoff Freeman)
The episode connects airport inefficiency, infrastructure gaps, airline costs, and policy choices to the affordability and competitiveness of U.S. travel.
- 1Airfares reflect strong demand, higher fuel costs, airline margins, and increasingly differentiated service options.
- 2Business travelers are more likely than vacationing families to abandon trips when delays and airport friction become excessive.
- 3Biometrics, improved screening, infrastructure investment, and better transportation policy could make U.S. travel more competitive.
Don't miss
Freeman explains why business travelers’ willingness to replace difficult trips with virtual meetings could impose an outsized cost on the travel economy.
The brief
Geoff Freeman of the U.S. Travel Association argues that travel policy should remove friction across airports, security, roads, and lodging rather than treat each problem in isolation.
Airport construction, baggage fees, crowded facilities, inconsistent screening, and difficult ground transport turn a routine trip into a layered systems failure, with LaGuardia offered as a counterexample.
Freeman says strong post-pandemic demand and higher fuel costs help explain elevated airfares, while airlines increasingly separate premium services from mass-market affordability.
The economic stakes rise when business travelers switch to virtual meetings: families may tolerate a difficult vacation, but frequent high-spending travelers can change behavior quickly.
The conversation closes on reforms including biometrics, TSA innovation, short-term-rental rules, passenger rail, and dynamically priced toll lanes as pieces of a broader travel system.
What was said on this episode
26 statements · 12 positive · 12 negative · 1 mixed · 1 neutral
- Geoff Freemanon Travel frictionPositive3:57
Reducing travel friction increases travel demand
“The general sense is if we remove the frictions, more people will travel.”
Listen at 3:57
- Geoff Freemanon International visitation to the United StatesNegative4:05
More travel friction coincided with declining international visitation
“we've only put more frictions in place over the past couple of years and we've seen a big decline in international visitation.”
Listen at 4:05
- Geoff Freemanon U.S. air traffic control systemPositive6:05
Air traffic control received $12.5 billion for rebuilding
“Last year, we got $12.5 billion to help rebuild the air traffic control system.”
Listen at 6:05
TSA PreCheck has been highly successful
“pre-check has proven to be an immense success.”
Listen at 9:03
TSA PreCheck covers 35% of travelers on a typical day
“only 35% of travelers on any given day are in pre-check.”
Listen at 9:06
- Geoff Freemanon TSA security linesPositive9:14
TSA security lines are shorter than five or ten years ago
“TSA lines today, even in the regular lines, they are much, much shorter than they were five years ago, 10 years ago.”
Listen at 9:14
- Geoff Freemanon Travel-process inconsistencyNegative11:10
Travel-process inconsistency is travelers' greatest irritation
“nothing irritates travelers more than inconsistency.”
Listen at 11:10
TSA is improving its traveler experience
“I think TSA is heading in the right direction.”
Listen at 12:18
- Geoff Freemanon Business travelNegative13:25
Business travelers may replace difficult trips with virtual meetings
“It's often the business traveler who says, you know what, I've got alternatives. I've got Zoom. I've got Teams. I've got other ways of doing things. I'm not going to put up with the challenges.”
Listen at 13:25
- Geoff Freemanon Business travelersNegative13:43
Losing business travelers disproportionately harms the travel industry
“If we lose those travelers because of inefficiencies, there's a disproportionate impact on industry.”
Listen at 13:43
- Geoff Freemanon Travel demandPositive16:22
Travel demand exceeds pre-pandemic levels
“people want to consume the product in numbers far greater than they ever could before.”
Listen at 16:22
- Geoff Freemanon AirfaresNegative16:53
Higher fuel costs have increased airfares
“It has led to higher airfares.”
Listen at 16:53
- Geoff Freemanon Travel intentionsNegative17:59
Fewer people intend to travel this year than last year
“We're seeing a decrease in the number of people that intend to travel this year versus last year.”
Listen at 17:59
- Geoff Freemanon Holiday travel demandNegative18:04
Higher prices are reducing intended holiday travel
“A lot of that is due to price.”
Listen at 18:04
- Geoff Freemanon Travel industryPositive18:42
The travel industry depends on high passenger volume
“we are absolutely playing a volume game.”
Listen at 18:42
- Geoff Freemanon Divided government in the United StatesPositive19:41
Divided government produces better national outcomes
“The country is always better with divided government”
Listen at 19:41
- Geoff Freemanon Canadian travel to the United StatesNegative20:01
Canadian travel to the United States declined 25%
“we've seen a 25% decline in Canadian travel to the United States.”
Listen at 20:01
- Geoff Freemanon 2026 FIFA World CupNegative20:40
The World Cup failed to substantially increase U.S. travel
“The World Cup did not lead to a big increase in travel to the United States.”
Listen at 20:40
- Geoff Freemanon Overseas travel to the United StatesNegative20:46
Overseas U.S. travel fell 2% in June and 7% in July
“overseas travel to the U.S. was down 2% in June and 7% in July.”
Listen at 20:46
- Geoff Freemanon U.S. visitationPositive21:50
U.S. visitation should play a pivotal diplomatic role
“Visitation to the U.S. should play a pivotal role in how we undertake diplomacy in the years ahead.”
Listen at 21:50
- Geoff Freemanon Short-term rentalsPositive22:55
Short-term rentals have a legitimate role in travel
“there's absolutely a role for short-term rentals within the travel ecosystem.”
Listen at 22:55
- Geoff Freemanon Hotels and short-term rentalsPositive23:35
Hotels and short-term rentals can both thrive
“There's a way to get this done where both can thrive.”
Listen at 23:35
- Geoff Freemanon U.S. passenger railNegative24:04
Most U.S. passenger rail corridors struggle to be profitable
“we've struggled to find other corridors where this thing can be a profitable business.”
Listen at 24:04
Brightline is innovative but financially struggling
“Brightline has done some really innovative things in Florida. But it's struggling financially.”
Listen at 24:13
- Geoff Freemanon Dynamically priced toll lanesPositive25:41
Dynamically priced toll lanes benefit the transportation system
“pursuing solutions like that work.”
Listen at 25:41
- Geoff Freemanon U.S. passenger railNegative25:50
U.S. passenger rail will not soon become the hoped-for transportation solution
“I don't see anything in the near term that leads me to believe that it's going to become the holy grail we perhaps hoped it would be.”
Listen at 25:50
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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