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What went so wrong for ASX travel shares today?

All the major ASX travel shares sunk into a sea of red on Thursday. Here are the details.

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Monica O'Shea
Monica is a journalist with experience working for Daily Mail Australia in Sydney and the Port Pirie Recorder and the Flinders News in South Australia. Monica completed a journalism cadetship in 2013. She also hold a B.Science (Biotechnology) with Honours from the University of Adelaide. Monica has worked in government at the local, state and federal level. Monica has a keen interest in finance and the share market and enjoys exploring the highs and lows. When not writing for Motley Fool Australia, Monica enjoys travel, sport, music, and likes to play the violin in her spare time.
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Key points
  • ASX travel shares had a horror day 
  • Qantas, Webjet, Flight Centre, Helloworld and Corporate Travel Management all dropped
  • ASX travel shares followed the pattern of US airline shares 

ASX travel shares descended today on a tough day for the market.

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) slid 2.74%,  Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)  gravitated 2.86%, and Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) descended 1.96%.

Meanwhile, the Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) share price fell 2.40%, while Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) dropped 2.54%.

Let's take a look at why these travel companies had such a shocking day.

Woman sitting looking miserable at airport

Image source: Getty Images

Travel chaos predicted

ASX travel shares followed the pattern of their US counterparts. The American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ: AAL) fell 2.58%, United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: UAL) descended 3.67%, and Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) dropped 3.69% in Wednesday's trade in the US. US airlines fell amid rate rise fears.

News from the White House that the USA has no plans to scrap COVID-19 testing requirements may also have weighed on travel shares. In a video shared on Twitter by The Post Millennial, Whitehouse COVID-19 advisor Jeff Zients said: "There are no plans to change the international travel requirements at this point."

ASX travel shares Flight Centre, Webjet and Qantas all have a presence in the USA market.

Travel chaos in the lead up to Easter may also be concerning travel shareholders. Hundreds of international flights are being cancelled due to COVID-19 travel shortages, CBS News reported. Australian passengers were recently warned to arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights amid airline staff shortages, the Daily Mail reported.

Rising oil prices may also be impacting ASX travel shares. International benchmark Brent crude oil is up 1.45% to US$102.57 per barrel at the time of writing, Trading Economics data shows. Fuel is a major cost for airlines, and the oil price impacts the cost of fuel.

ASX travel share recap

In the past year, Qantas shares have fallen 7.41%, Webjet shares have fallen 2.86%, while Flight Centre shares have leapt 4.96%.

Helloworld Travel shares have soared 10.41%, while Corporate Travel shares have exploded 22.35%.

In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Index has returned more than 7% in the past year.

The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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