If you’re planning holiday travel, act fast
Buy tickets early, before demand pushes up prices, and be flexible
The holidays will be here before you know it, and if you haven’t made arrangements to fly home for Grandma’s pumpkin pie, do so as soon as possible.
Airfare experts say you have until early November to book flights to lock in a favorable price and get a seat on the flight you want.
“You have [about] 10 to 15 days in November to make Christmas and New Year’s purchases before things get really crazy,” says Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com.
The holidays are usually busy, and it’s typically a smart move to buy tickets early, before demand pushes up prices.
The cheapest fares for Thanksgiving are likely gone by now, says Joel Grus, Bing Travel’s fare expert. But you can still find good deals for the December holidays and New Year’s, he says.
The key is to start shopping now for tickets.
“If you see a fare that seems reasonable today and you can afford it, you might as well grab it,” says George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. “If the fare is really outrageous, . . . just take a deep breath and have a cup of coffee. Come back in a couple of hours.”
Indeed, airfares for the same flight can go up and down within days — or sometimes hours.
Airlines typically offer a same-day fare guarantee to give a little protection against falling prices the same day that you buy your ticket. Rules vary by airline, but often if you purchase a ticket and then hours later the price for that flight drops at least $5 or $10, the airline will refund the difference if you request it that same day. In addition, some give a voucher for $50 or $100 off a future flight.
Better holiday fares are available if you can be flexible with travel days.
Thanksgiving travelers, for instance, usually want to fly the Wednesday before the holiday and return the Sunday after. You’ll pay more — at least $100 to $200 each way—if you fly on peak travel days, Seaney said. That includes a new $10 surcharge if you fly on specific dates—Nov. 29 and 30; Dec. 19, 26 and 27; and Jan. 2 and 3.
“The airlines are telling you which days to avoid,” Seaney said. But it’s always wise to avoid traveling Fridays and Sundays any time of the year, he adds.
Fare experts say the best day to travel is often on the holiday. The drawback is that travel and weather are unpredictable, and you could end up stuck at the airport, warns Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel, an online travel resource.
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