It’s Almost Too Late to Get a Good Deal on Holiday Travel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) October 19, 2011 -- The best deals on airfares are right now—mid-October until mid-November. After that, the fares will increase by about $5 every single day! If you’re planning to wait and snag last minute deals, you should know that there probably won’t be many this year.


How is that possible, you may wonder, given the state of the economy?

Remarkably, the demand for air travel remains steady and business travel is up over this time last year. This means the airlines don’t have to slash prices. What they are reducing is the number of flights. AirTran, American, Delta, and United have cut the most flights. Less flights mean more sold out flights. This is music to the ears of an airline CEO.

So what are the best ways to save on airfares, besides buying a ticket sooner rather than later? Here are five things you can do to make sure to get the lowest fare:

1. Try to fly on less popular travel dates to avoid peak crowds and highest fares.

The worst days will be:
Tuesday before Thanksgiving
Sunday after Thanksgiving
December 22, 23, or 26
January 3

The best days are:
Wednesday before Thanksgiving
Early on Thanksgiving Day
Early on Christmas Day

January 1 (I once had a row of six seats to myself for the entire flight home plus great service from the flight attendants)

Note: Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Saturday this year! It is likely that mid-week travel will be the most crowded.


2. The best time to buy airline tickets is after midnight during the week when fares are uploaded. There are only a handful of cheap seats. When those get sold out, the price goes up to the next tier and so on. Another good time to buy tickets is on Tuesday afternoon when sales are posted.

3. Flights with connections cost less than direct or non-stop flights. The big concern with connecting flights is delays and missed connections. This depends on which airports and airlines you use. For example, Chicago’s O-Hare airport is notoriously bad for delayed flights. American has one of the worst records with an on-time departure of only 54 percent. Be careful about tight connections. Not allowing enough time between connecting flights can easily caused a missed connection these days. Rebooking on the next flight may not be an option is a plane is full or it is close to the last flight of the day. www.flightstats.com

4. Check alternate airports to compare fares. Flying out of a different airport usually results in a different fare that may be much less than your hometown or main airport. www.faa.gov/airports

5. Comparison shop. Compare the fares offered by the airlines by visiting their websites (for a complete listing, www.listofairlines.org), check one or two popular travel sites (they are generally comparable), auction sites (www.priceline.com is one of my favorites), and reputable consolidators.

Tips: Do not wrap any gifts you are taking in your carry-on bag. Make sure you’re allowed to take the items on board. For example, gift baskets with food, snowglobes, and wine or liquor cannot be carried on the plane. Be sure to check an airline’s policies on first and second bag charges and early boarding options. Due to the holidays, you may need a second bag and may find early boarding worth the price. www.tsa.gov

This information comes from The Encyclopedia of Cheap Travel: Save Up to 90% on Lodging, Flights, Tours, Cruises, and More! (Second Edition, 2011. ISBN 978-0615-514727; $14.95 pb, $6.95 eBook), written by award winning writer and travel expert Terrance Zepke. This article may be used in your publication at no charge as long as full credit is given. The author is available for interviews and may be contacted through her website, www.terrancezepke.com

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