Dec. 25 cheapest for holiday travel
If you’ve procrastinated and haven’t booked your holiday flight yet, you still might find an affordable ticket.
We’ve recently seen fares drop to cities where there’s little competition and that aren’t popular holiday destinations. Sample markets from Dallas include Bangor, Maine; Burlington, Vt.; Cincinnati; Roanoke, Va.; and Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.
The cheapest day to travel is Dec. 25. Fares are $40 to $50 higher round trip for travel now through Dec. 20, Dec. 24, Dec. 28 through Jan. 1, and Jan. 3 through 8.
Travel Dec. 21, 26 and 27 and Jan. 2 is another $40 to $50 higher round trip. Avoid Dec. 22 and 23; fares are much higher on those days.
We’re finding that it’s cheaper to travel in noncompetitive markets during the holidays, rather than waiting until January, as long as you’re flexible on your dates.
For example, round-trip fare from Dallas to Cincinnati departing Dec. 25 was $248; it was $308 departing Dec. 21 and returning Jan. 2. By comparison, the regular 21-day advance fare for travel beginning in January is $388 round trip.
We’ve also seen the advance purchase on many routes go down to seven days, from 14 or 21 days. As we get closer to Christmas, the advance-purchase requirement will probably drop to three days or disappear as airlines scramble to sell any available seats. This probably won’t happen until next Sunday.
If flights to your desired destination are sky-high, check alternate airports, where fares may be lower.
We’re also seeing lower fares for travel with two or more connections, but along with spending all day traveling, you risk missing connections.
If you’ve already booked your tickets, periodically check the going rate on the same itinerary. If prices fall, you could be refunded the difference in the fares, minus the change fee, which is typically $100 per ticket on domestic flights.
Travelers should be ready to book when checking fares. If you find a price you like, nail it down. Cheap fares sell quickly.
Many destinations in Florida, Hawaii, ski areas, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe are very expensive. Travel to these and other locations will be cheaper after the holidays.
If your vacation dates are flexible, you could save hundreds of dollars by traveling in January or early February. Hotel and car rental rates at these destinations will drop by as much as 70 percent from the holiday prices.
When we checked fares from Dallas to Los Cabos, Mexico, we found a round-trip rate of $351 with one connection in Los Angeles and $451 for nonstop flights for post-holiday travel. By comparison, the fare was $1,993 for departure Dec. 26 and return Jan. 2.
Some deals are available on international travel for departure at the end of December, with the earliest returns Jan. 7. For example, we found flying from Dallas to London on Dec. 29 and returning Jan. 7 cost $401 round trip. Fly Dec. 29 and return Jan. 5, and the tab is $1,565.