Trendwatch delivers travel stats you can use

Expedia’s newest Travel Trendwatch Report was just released, and it’s chock-full of interesting tidbits that can help you plan travel, watch out for pitfalls, and dazzle your friends with a seemingly comprehensive understanding of travel trends.

The report covers top summer destinations, domestic and international travel trends, arrival times associated with the most delays, punctual airports, and how Americans measure up as tourists compared to visitors from other countries. It also covers trends specific to hotels, rental cars, and cruises.

Here’s a brief sampling of what you’ll find:

• Capacity growth on international routes may well mean more sales and discounts for international travel this fall and winter.
• Though flight delays have been in the news a lot lately, some cities, including Atlanta, Oakland, San Diego, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, have improved on-time performance since last year.
• You’re most likely to find cheaper airfare this year than you would have last year for travel to Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Dallas, TX.
• You should expect evening delays if you’re arriving in Atlanta between 8 and 9, Chicago (O’Hare) between 10 and 11, New York (JFK) between 10 and 11, or Seattle between 7 and 8 at night.
• American tourists were rated as the world’s second most polite tourists by European hotel managers. We were also the clear winners in the most generous tippers and the worst-dressed categories.