This is why your airline tickets are so expensive right now

People are looking for flights in a rush of what's been termed "revenge travel" after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Internet searches show sky-high airfares for many routes, yet travelers with wanderlust are opting to stomach the higher costs after being grounded for so long.

The trend is across geographies, though some places are more squeezed than others. Searches for a return economy-class ticket between Hong Kong and London on Cathay Pacific Airways in late June turned up prices as high as $5,360, which is more than five times the typical cost before the pandemic.

There are several reasons for the higher fares, not all of which are within the control of airlines.

Carriers are cautious about bringing back all their idled jets, even though most countries have eased cross-border restrictions. That's particularly true for giant aircraft like Airbus SE's A380 superjumbos and Boeing Co.'s older 747-8s, as airlines turn to more fuel-efficient models like A350s and 787 Dreamliners.

The pinch is most acute in Asia, which was the slowest to ease restrictions, and as China, the biggest market in the region, remains essentially closed.

With fewer planes in the skies, there are fewer seats to meet the recovery in demand, which in turn has pushed up fares.

Hundreds of thousands of pilots, flight attendants, ground handlers and other aviation workers lost their jobs over the past couple of years. With travel picking up, the industry now finds itself unable to hire fast enough to allow for seamless operations at its pre-pandemic levels.

Singapore's Changi Airport — regularly voted the world's best — is looking to recruit more than 6,600 people. Many workers who were let go have found other, less volatile careers, and aren't willing to come back to a cyclical industry.

In the U.S., smaller regional airlines can't fly at full capacity because bigger carriers have hired away too many pilots. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in the United Kingdom, ruining holiday plans and leading to long delays and scenes of passengers sleeping at airports.

In Europe, major airports have faced delays and cancellations after failing to hire adequate staff. That has disrupted airline schedules and added to costs.

It's unclear how long these high prices will persist, even as many travelers seem willing to pay up.