It seems like every year the holidays descend upon us without warning, but those times are usually accompanied by some last minute airfare sales. Not this year.
Those who want to celebrate with family and friends had better start planning fast. With decreased capacity (fewer seats) and more people starting to fly, fares are ramping up.
According to a recent report released by online travel agency Travelocity, Thanksgiving airfare is already up 10 percent compared to last year.
On average, domestic airfare this year is $384 round-trip.
The trend started earlier this summer and has not abated. With reduced capacity and increased travel, the deals we saw last year are no longer.
Some tips on holiday planning:
- Start looking at prices now and into early October instead of waiting.
- Sign up for fare alerts for your specific city so you’ll be notified if and when the price goes down. Specific airlines have them, as do resources like Farecompare.com and AirfareWatchdog.com.
- Take a look at Bing Travel’s Farecast alert which tells you with reasonable confidence whether prices will go up, down, or stay flat.
- Look for connecting flights rather than non-stops for better deals. But make sure the layover is at least an hour. If you miss a connection due to a delay, it will be difficult to get on another flight.
Of course, WHEN you travel is almost as important as where you travel. The airlines have quietly rolled out surcharges for traveling on peak dates.
In fact, according to Travelocity, travelers could end up paying as much as $170 more on an average ticket if they travel on peak dates, namely the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after.
Peak travel surcharges have been implemented by many airlines. Farecompare has a chart that shows the fees (between $10 and $30 per flight) levied by American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways.
The biggest whammies are on the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving, December 23, and the two days immediately following Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
But there is some good news if you CAN plan ahead and be flexible with your schedule.
There are multiple fall sales going on right now, but they expire shortly and don’t necessarily include holiday dates. But for those flexible enough to travel outside of peak holiday dates, the savings are there.
As always, Thanksgiving is also a great time to go to…Europe! At this time of year, the Europeans aren’t dealing with turkey and dysfunctional relatives, and fall is an excellent time to travel while the weather is still good and the crowds have gone home.
And let’s not forget about the best time to travel: when everyone else isn’t. The dead weeks, immediately following Thanksgiving and immediately following New Years. That’s when NOBODY is on the road … except for smart travelers. Hotels, ski resorts and especially cruises offer discounts during those slower periods.
Last, but not least, on short trips, remember the most economical alternative is to skip the planes altogether and opt for a bus or train. Prices around the holidays remain relatively stable, whether you’re traveling before, on or during Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Just make sure that not all reservations are guaranteed, so arrive early to avoid being bumped.
If you’re concerned about being overloaded, ship your gifts ahead of time! If you send it in advance using ground delivery, prices are quite reasonable. Just remember that this is peak shipping season and you’ll need to ship by December 17 or even earlier to ensure delivery by Christmas Day.
For deals and more information, check out Peter’s article on CBSNews.com.
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