海角大神

This year may聽be more than halfway through, but聽there鈥檚 plenty of travel left to do. As a travel expert, I pay close attention to any travel industry changes, because they often mean new ways to save money on airfare, hotel stays and trip booking. Here are the top 10 trends聽I've noticed popping up this year, and how you can use them to your advantage the next time you travel.

Basic economy fares are changing the way we fly.

Delta Airlines was the first to introduce basic economy fares a few years ago, and other airlines are now following suit. A basic economy fair is essentially a very cheap flight that comes with none of the perks normally associated with airline travel. This means no ticket changes, no seat selection, limited elite benefits, and even聽Medallion members聽who purchase basic economy fares can't be upgraded to preferred seats or first class. Keep a look out for this kind of fare to hit American and United flights in the future.

While this is actually a good thing for budget travelers, you don't want to book one of these by mistake. Make sure sure you double check at booking what fare class the airline puts you in. I've booked plenty of Delta basic economy flights, and while I've seen plenty of warning about the lack of amenities that go along with my ticket, a less-frequent traveler than I might not understand what this means.

Fare聽wars are bringing down the cost of airline travel.

Due to more efficient planes, cheaper gas, and a few major mergers an acquisitions that have taken place over the past few years that have finally made the airline industry profitable, flying is cheaper than ever before. As most U.S. plane travelers fly infrequently, one way airlines can compete for your business is by driving down the ticket price.

Spirit and Frontier have set the bottom for fares (seriously, I flew for聽), and international airlines like Etihad and Emirates have hit American carriers hard. Expect to see ticket prices go down even more in 2017.

Service is getting better.

Yes, that鈥檚 not a typo! Another way airlines compete for customers is by offering better and better service. When the price of a flight is the same across the board, service can be a differentiating factor when it comes to making a choice about which airline to fly.聽American and United have added snacks back into economy (hello, Biscoff Cookies!), and American is spending millions on its domestic lounge updates. This new and improved聽focus on service is also due to increased competition from foreign airlines that offer a premium product (see my聽for comparison, it ain鈥檛 no American airline!).

Passengers are earning fewer聽miles on their flights.

As of today, all three of the big U.S.聽airlines, American, United and Delta,聽. This is a big change from how it was in the past.聽Before August 1, 2016, I could fly a $300 fare on American to Panama City, Panama (or wherever), and earn redeemable miles based on how far I flew. Now, the聽mileage I earn is based on a multiplier of my base fare (which does聽not聽include taxes and fees), significantly reducing the amount of miles I can earn. However, passengers flying expensive, short haul routes, though, may see more miles in their聽account than in the past.

We're seeing newer planes and nicer seats.

As a part of all this increased competition, airline passengers are getting to enjoy better amenities as they fly.聽United just unveiled its聽exciting new Polaris business class seat,聽聽to its business class accommodations, and American is set to introduce announced a Premium Economy option soon. All of this is聽in聽addition to the buying binge that airlines worldwide have been on over the past decade, and聽their new planes will finally be coming online soon.

Transportation to and from the airport is getting better and better.

Uber and Lyft are competing heavily for customers domestically, and as a result it feels like I get a 50 percent off promo from both of them on a weekly basis, and Lyft is even聽聽with Starbucks in the future! Now that both ride sharing companies have made nice with airports around the country, you can hail an Uber X or Lyft from the airport to your final destination, which dramatically cuts down on transportation fees.聽Additionally, many airports are opening or planning to open direct rail transports in the coming years, making the arrival and departure experience that much better. Personally, I can't聽wait for LAX鈥檚 People Mover聽to arrive in 2023, as traffic in and out of LAX is atrocious.

Hotels are offering聽up perks for direct booking.

This year, most of the major hotel brands introduced direct booking perks to encourage travelers to make reservations on the hotel's own website, rather than through an online travel agency聽like Expedia or Travelocity. The perks usually include things like complimentary WiFi for non elites and discounts for elite members that beat out Expedia's pricing.

Private jet travel is actually becoming affordable.

I say this with a grain of salt, as what I'm talking about is聽not聽truly聽private, but many charter jet companies are expanding their offerings to fly a hybrid private/charter service between private hangars on smaller planes. JetSuite X is one聽major airline that's聽offering this on the West Coast, and others are following suit. Why fly "private?" No TSA security, free drinks and snacks, and a first class experience, that's why!聽I鈥檒l actually be posting a review of JetSuite X鈥檚 service tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Hotel聽brands are consolidating.

The hotel industry has seen a number of large acquisitions in the past few years:聽IHG bought聽Kimpton, Accor bought聽Fairmont, and now Marriott is buying聽Starwood. Just like in the airline industry, this is definitely going to keep happening in the future. While consolidation is usually not great for customers, as it means聽less competition, the hotel industry is still very fragmented, meaning we probably wont see too many noticeable changes right off the bat.聽My bet? Expect Hyatt to purchase a brand in 2016 or 2017.

Travel is getting cheaper!

It has聽never been easier or cheaper to travel! With low fares, cheap airport transportation, and alternative lodging options like airbnb and VRBO, it鈥檚 entirely possible to travel the world on a fraction of what it cost in the past.

This story originally appeared on .