The 5 Dead Zones for Cheap Flights
If you love airfare deals but hate crowds, dead zone travel is for you.
Dead Zones – Cheapest Times to Fly
Dead zones are those off-peak travel periods when most people don’t want to fly, but even during these lulls, airlines have to fill up their planes to stay in business and the best way to do that is by cutting ticket prices. For an airline, a dead zone is a pain. For a frugal flyer, it can be paradise.
Listen as air travel expert Rick Seaney says, these dead zones are zombie-free:
5 Dead Zones of the Year
There are generally five dead zone periods per year.
- January: Starting about Jan. 6 or 7 and continuing through the month
- February: Most of the month excluding Spring Break periods and sometimes Valentine?s Day plus travel to/from the Super Bowl host city
- Late August through September: Coincides with children’s school schedules which can vary by region
- November: First two weeks of the month, before Thanksgiving travel
- December: First two weeks of the month and may include the very end of November
Honorary Dead Zone Days
Within holiday periods, there are few honorary dead zone days. These are not as cheap as true dead zones but they are cheaper than the days surrounding these popular travel periods: the actual holidays. Good examples of cheaper holiday deals include flights on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, but even flying on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July or Labor Day is less expensive than the days leading up to or immediately following these holidays.
Airfare 101: Getting the Best Deals Every Time You Shop
How to be Sure of Paying Dead Zone Prices
Whether you’re flying in a dead zone or the peak summer travel period, the only way to be sure of getting the best deal available is to compare prices. As airfare analyst Rick Seaney has said, “It’s the only way to be certain you’re not paying a penny more than you have to.”
