Airstream Sales Exploded During COVID-19 Pandemic

Editor’s Note: This post was inspired by the February 24th Washington Post article, “Old school Airstreams enjoy pandemic-era popularity.”

“That kind of backlog is unprecedented,” he said. “It’s like nothing I’ve seen in my 19 years at this company.” Airstream CEO Bob Wheeler recently told the Washington Post about Airstream’s year long timeframe the company needs to fill existing orders. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has catapulted the popularity of the already iconic brand. Airstream had just opened a brand new, 725,000 square foot factory space--before production was shut down from March 20th through May 4th, 2020. 

And then the unexpected continued to happen for the company, but in a shockingly positive way. In May 2020 Airstream broke their all-time monthly sales record, dating back to 1980 when they began recording that number, a figure not released to the public. The next month, sales jumped again--over a 100% increase from June 2019.

The pandemic provided the push many needed to pursue the RV lifestyle that many only dreamed of. Wheeler said that 56% of Airstream customers during the past eight months were new to RV life, with a large number of families buying the travel trailers that typically attract singles and couples. The company responded to the new demand by releasing a new Flying Cloud 30FB floor plan complete with an office space.

Despite the influx of families, recent sales are specifically concentrated on Airstream’s smallest models. The Basecamp, Airstream’s least expensive vehicle, is currently “hotter than anything else.” Wheeler told Business Insider. 

                                                                                                                                                 2021 Airstream Basecamp

One major draw of the Basecamp is how easy it is to tow. Weighing in at just 2,585 pounds, the efficient little travel trailer can be towed by a vehicle customers are more likely to already own, such as a Toyota RAV4. 

With the backlog in production and explosion in popularity, when can you expect to see the latest and greatest Airstreams?

A July 2020 airstream.com blog post said that “The 2021 'Silver Bullet' travel trailer lineup has officially begun production in our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and there are several innovative features and upgrades throughout the different models that we’re excited to share with you. Although normally done throughout the first part of May each year, recent events have pushed normal schedules back which has naturally delayed the timing of our model year product releases.”

With those Airstreams not expected to land at dealerships until December 2021, the currently unreleased 2022 Airstreams could be far away. 

If you’re considering purchasing a 2021 Airstream, now is clearly the time to pounce. At Pete’s RV Center we carry all 2021 Airstream travel trailers, and will eagerly announce here on our Airstream Vermont blog updates on the brand’s production timeline.