Pandemic-era airfare deals harder to find as vaccines boost travel

Manhattan art gallery partner Axel Katz found himself with far more free time than usual when his Dacia Gallery temporarily closed in March 2020 and he recovered from COVID-19 soon after. The 27-year-old filled the void that followed by traveling to destinations both domestic and abroad, scouring the internet for extreme airfare deals that started popping up during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The low airfares he paid were almost as memorable as the sights he saw. In May 2020, Katz flew roundtrip from New York to Los Angeles for roughly $150. In January 2021, he purchased a $34 roundtrip ticket from New York to Naples, Florida.  Katz estimated he's taken nine trips in the past year, at times enjoying perks including entire rows of seats to himself as tourism vaporized. "I've never travelled this much in any other 12-month period," he said.