DALLAS (AP) — Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during travel.

Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even exceed levels in the good-old, pre-pandemic days. However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019, and that has at times contributed to widespread flight cancellations.

People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.

Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a whopping 45% higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper.

“The time to have gotten cheap summer flights was probably three or four months ago,” says Scott Keyes, who runs the Scott’s Cheap Flights site.

A lineup of national touring acts combined with home grown talent is scheduled to provide entertainment for a weekend campout at Freedom Field in Harmony from May 20-22 during the 27th annual Germination Festival.

Germination is an all-ages, family-friendly music and art festival started decades ago by Donnie Christian. According to Chelsea Morang, who is assisting with the event, Christian had been looking for a group to take over the organization for this and other music festivals held at Freedom Field, 75 Carson Hill Road in Harmony.

“He recently found a group to keep his legacy going so more events can happen at this magical place,” Morang says. “Germination will be the first big festival that we’re all putting our hearts and souls into.”

The multi-genre music lineup for Germination will offer a bit of everything according to Morang.

“We have jam-bands but also rock and roll, jazz fusion, hip-hop, one-man acts, looping and DJs. There’s a good variety to speak to everybody,” she says.