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Cheap Airline Tickets for the Holidays

We are poised to enter the soft fall travel season, when fewer people fly and ticket prices drop. If you follow the FareCompare Deals Blog, you will have seen some great prices but you also discovered most fall sales end just before the Thanksgiving holiday travel period; those sales that do extend into December typically blackout the dates around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Some Holiday Airline Ticket Bargains Available Now

Normally, I suggest would-be holiday travelers start looking at prices about three months ahead of departure, and do not procrastinate; last minute holiday fares are steep, and Thanksgiving is the most expensive time of the year to fly. This, however, is not quite a normal year, what with our nation’s economic problems and the ups and downs of oil prices, but I still say “do not procrastinate”. And here’s some new advice: start looking at holiday airfare now.

I did, and I got a deal on my Thanksgiving flights.

Best Prices for Holiday Airfare: $300 or Less

We’re traveling to Orange County, California this Turkey Day, and I got tickets from DFW for just $110 each-way, and that’s with all taxes and fees included. Note: I saved about $200 per person by returning the Saturday after Thanksgiving; typically the most expensive dates immediately after Thanksgiving Day are the Friday and Sunday after the holiday.

Holiday Tip:

Take a look at FareCompare (on Tuesday, the cheapest day to shop for airfare) and if you see domestic holiday flights for under $300 roundtrip, consider making the purchase.

Have an Air Travel Question? Ask FareCompare co-founder Rick Seaney

Listen as FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney tells Editor Anne McDermott more about the cheapest times to fly this fall: