Cheaper Holiday Travel Deals
Posted February 27, 2010 – 3:41 pm in: AirlinesThe holidays can be a stressful time for us all. We’re trying to prioritize our finances to afford the cost of travel, lavish meals and gifts. We’re also running through malls, racking up credit card bills, trying to figure out what everyone wants and fighting over the last holiday ham at the supermarket. Stringing up the lights, buying Christmas trees, helping the kids with their last-minute projects, baking cookies — the holidays are maddening indeed. Yet, at the end of the hustle and bustle, it’s so worth it just to have that moment to appreciate your family and your blessings. Airline travel can really add to the stress of the holidays unless you know how and where to snag the travel deals. Here are some tips for making your holiday travel stress-free.
Brian Clark, senior VP of www.fly.com, warns that airline travel prices are going up closer to the holidays since the airlines have cut capacity due to the recession, which means there will be fewer and fuller flights. For instance, by the last week of October this year, Thanksgiving fares had already jumped 15% compared to the end of September. On average, a $380 round-trip ticket had become a $440 ticket. Travelers can expect the same scenario for Christmas, Clark says. Major airlines are now tacking on an extra $10 holiday travel fee on their busiest days — November 29, January 2 and January 3. Many people can find better deals by flying out on Thursday and returning on Friday or Saturday for better flight deals. He also recommends postponing holiday travel to the Tuesday after New Year’s Day (January 5).
CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg recently appeared on CBS News with some hints for getting the best deal on airline travel this holiday season. Sign up for price alerts at websites like www.airfarewatchdog.com, which tracks the best deals leaving your departure airport or arriving at your destination. “They update the airfares about 300,000 (times) a day so you’re getting the latest,” Greenberg explains. He also recommends www.farecompare.com, which analyzes historical trends to let you know whether you’re likely to get cheap tickets in the coming weeks or see higher fares. Last-minute sales and deals can be found at www.travelzoo.com, www.shermanstravel.com and www.bookingbuddy.com. Signing up for airline email alerts can also clue you in to some great sales. Airline operators like Southwest and United are also posting news at www.twitter.com. If you need a cheap hotel over the Christmas holiday, be sure to visit www.hotels.com.
So what can you expect in terms of airline travel price fluctuations? Experts like Greenberg say you can save as much as 25-50% by being flexible in your travel dates. Let’s look at an example. Say you’re heading from Newark to Los Angeles. According to www.fly.com, if you were to leave on Wednesday the 23rd and come back Saturday the 26th, as most seasonal travelers do, you’ll be paying $601 round-trip on Continental. The website www.priceline.com suggests departing on Christmas Eve and coming back on December 27th or 29th for the best deals. So if you were to leave Christmas Eve and return on Tuesday the 29th, American Airlines offers cheap airline tickets for $453. So just by altering your dates slightly, you’ll save $148!
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