Roman holiday? Not this year. US-Europe summer flights hit a five-year high of ... trends now What could be nicer than a summer vacation spent sipping prosecco, watching the sun set over Sicily's shoreline? You'd need to be almost as rich as a character from hit HBO show The White Lotus to get there this year. The average airline ticket to European destinations has hit a new high of $1,167 this summer. Asia is no cheaper. Summer fares to Tokyo, Saigon, Hong Kong and other Far East hubs average at $1,817. The eye watering cost of globetrotting has led to many passengers souring on US airlines. Researchers say flights to Europe and Asia have jumped to their highest level in five years Tourists in Piazza del Duomo admiring Sienna Cathedral. Spectacular, if you can afford to get there A new survey has revealed how passenger satisfaction with US airlines has dropped for the second year in a row. Don't expect the prices to get cheaper any time soon. New Biden administration rules to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers are expected to push up ticket prices once again. Poll Can you afford a foreign vacation this summer? Yes 0 votes No 0 votes Not sure 0 votes Still working on it 0 votes Now share your opinion 'Planes are crowded, tickets are expensive, and flight availability is constrained,' said Michael Taylor, a travel expert with J.D. Power, a data firm that released its annual satisfaction survey on Wednesday. 'If this trend continues, travelers will reach a breaking point and some airline brands may be damaged.' Airfares to Europe and Asia this summer are the highest they've been in more than five years, according to travel website Hopper. Travelers will be shelling out $300 more per ticket in each direction than they were last year. London, which this month celebrated the coronation of King Charles III, is the destination most searched for by US travelers, says Hopper. It's followed by Paris, Tokyo, Rome, San Juan, Seoul, Shanghai, Milan, Mexico City, and Istanbul. Those daunted by the cost of flying overseas would benefit from sticking to the homeland. London, Paris, Tokyo, and Rome were the international destinations most American travelers are searching for Prices are higher, but the lines don't move any faster. PICTURED: Departing travelers at a security checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington Airport The average domestic airfare is $306 – nearly a fifth cheaper than last summer. New York City is the top destination for domestic flyers. The Big Apple is followed by Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, and Seattle. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn on a moped for the 1953 movie about Americans abroad, Roman Holiday Hopper says the high cost of international travel is caused by pent-up demand from the pandemic, and the high cost of jet fuel. Meanwhile, the airlines have kept capacity below 2019 levels, driving up prices while keeping cabins packed. They've tried to rebuild schedules, but have struggled against a shortage of cabin crew and pilots. According to Taylor, this makes it a 'banner year for the industry because they are operating at peak economic efficiency.' Travelers hate it, however. J.D. Power tracks passenger satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale, and it's down seven points overall to 791 this year. The steepest decline is among economy passengers. They are hit hardest by the high prices, and their satisfaction score dropped 19 points against last year. Southwest, Delta, and JetBlue scored the best among economy passengers. Frontier, Spirit and American came off worst. Southwest's strong showing comes as a surprise. A new survey shows how passenger satisfaction with US airlines has dropped for the second year in a row Southwest Airlines still scores high among passengers despite its holiday season meltdown The airline scored worse than last year, but appears to have weathered the recent holiday season's cascading failures that saw more than 16,000 flight cancellations that left passengers stranded. Like in television's The White Lotus, everything looks better in a first-class seat. Premier passengers worry less about ticket prices. Their satisfaction scores bucked the trend and jumped nine points. That's because 'food and beverage … services were reinstated for upper class cabins in the post-pandemic period,' researchers said. There is good news and bad on the horizon for travelers. US President Joe Biden this week unveiled new rules to require airlines to compensate passengers with cash for significant flight delays or cancellations when the carriers are to blame. Officials have suggested payouts could be about $100 for delays of at least three hours. That's a boon for passengers who are stuck in a terminal, even though there have been fewer cancellations so far this year, says Hopper. Still, the money will have to come from somewhere, and industry insiders expect this to drive up fares further. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility