Coming home for Christmas or Thanksgiving is something most people opt to do during the holidays. Busy airports, overbooked flights, and clogged highways demonstrate that the holiday season is one of the busiest when it comes to transportation. It is possible, however, to avoid paying a premium for your next holiday flight. Here are eight ways to get a cheap fare the next time you want to visit your family and friends during the holiday season.
1. Book in Advance
If you really want to pay the best price, you need to book in advance. A good range to consider is booking at least three months in advance of your trip. Booking a little too far in advance can backfire and have you paying higher prices than usual. Most travel experts suggest watching the fares for a few weeks to see what the trend is for pricing. You can also try subscribing to a fare alert service to get any notifications about a sudden price drop.
2. Get a Last Minute Deal
Of course, there is also some sense in buying your ticket at the last minute if you want to save some money. This strategy can be risky and only works if you are not set on traveling definitively. Sometimes, the number of tickets sold doesn’t satisfy the airline, and they react by lowering prices at the last minute. This could be a few weeks before the holiday season or even as late as 24 hours before the scheduled flight.
3. Use Miles
Paying cash for your flight doesn’t have to be your only option if you have airline miles to spend. Since holiday airfare can be more expensive than other seasons, it may make the most sense to use up your airline miles for your flight. There are often many rules and restrictions when using airline miles for a ticket, so be sure you do your research before making that your plan.
4. Find a Package
Another way you can help lessen the financial blow on a holiday trip is to purchase a bundled package that includes airfare and a hotel stay. Some tour operators can get heavy discounts on airfare to pass along to their customers. The holidays are a popular time of year to consider going on an exotic island vacation.
5. Get a Mistake Fare
You may also find yourself lucky if you score a mistake fare on a popular route. Mistake fares are very difficult to come by nowadays because of the lightning-fast news cycle speed with the internet. It’s also possible your mistake fare may be too good to be true, as some airlines may not honor your low ticket cost if there was a computer glitch or some other type of error. If you book a mistake fare, be flexible with your hotel options and wait until you are sure the airline will go with it.
6. Travel on a Holiday
It’s also a smart idea to considering booking your holiday travel on the actual major holiday. Flying on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving isn’t very popular, and may be cheaper than booking your trip a day or two later. If you’re planning a holiday vacation and don’t need to see friends or family on the big day, this could help you save big.
7. Choose a Flight Aggregator Site
Another spot to find cheap fares is through a discount airline agency, such as Nanak Flights. Here, you can find cheap flights online with an intuitive user experience, fast results, and an organized list of possible flight options. Sites like these help travelers get a wide variety of search results and see lower prices than through the airlines.
8. Look for Loyalty Discounts
If you’re a loyal customer to one particular airline, you could benefit from discounts, coupons, or specials throughout the year. Some airlines give their best customers exclusive deals even during the holidays. Make sure you subscribe to their email newsletters so you get access to everything first. This could help give you a holiday to remember.
If you want to make special holiday memories even more spectacular, a holiday trip may be your best bet. Keep your costs low by looking for inexpensive flights. There are many creative ways you can lower the price of your trip and get more for your money.