BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes
to booking airfare, common sense says to plan ahead in order to get
the best deals. But the sweet spot for flights can vary, with
seasonality, travel dates and other factors all influencing price.
Each year, Expedia.com® aims to take the guess work out of holiday
travel by analyzing thousands of holiday bookings to determine the
optimal time to book and save. Tips include:
- Traveling on the holiday itself often yields the cheapest
rates
- Book at least two weeks to a month ahead of your trip
- Avoid starting your trip on the Saturday before the holiday –
this was consistently the most expensive day to fly
Holiday Airfare Booking Tips
Thanksgiving
- Cheapest Time to Buy: October 29
– November 13
-
- Booking two weeks to a month in advance of travel saved
travelers more than five percent.
- Those who booked 91+ days out and less than one week out paid
the most, with last-minute bookers paying more than 20% above
average.
- Best Time to Fly:
-
- For the cheapest rates, start your trip on Thanksgiving Day –
last year travelers who departed on Thanksgiving paid about
$100 less than those who departed the
Saturday prior to the holiday.
- If traveling on the holiday is a no-go, your second cheapest
options will be starting your trip on Monday or Tuesday of
Thanksgiving week.
- Data confirms the busiest travel day leading up to the holiday
is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.
Christmas
- Cheapest Time to Buy: November 23
– December 9
-
- Booking during this window saved travelers around 15 percent,
so aim to book at least two weeks to a month in advance of
travel.
- While last-minute bookers payed around 2% more than average,
early birds who booked 91+ days out paid around 15% more than the
average holiday traveler.
- Best Time to Fly:
-
- The cheapest day to fly was Christmas Eve, with travelers
paying around $100 less than those
who started their trip on the Saturday prior to the holiday.
- If traveling on Christmas Eve or day isn't an option, aim to
start your trip on the 23rd.
- Data confirms the busiest travel day leading up to Christmas is
shaping up to be December
21st.
More Tips to Help Travelers Save this Holiday
It's not quite time to start booking, but there are some things
travelers should do in the meantime to make sure they get the most
out of their holiday trip:
- Set up price alerts and favorite the hotels you like. If
you log in or create an Expedia.com account, your recent searches
and any hotels you save will automatically be saved in "My Trips"
so you can come back and track price changes.
- Work the Rewards. If you haven't already done so, make
sure you're signed up for any travel loyalty programs. With
Expedia's free Rewards program, travelers can collect points to
redeem on air, hotel and package bookings, while still collecting
frequent flier miles. Plus, when you book on the Expedia Mobile
App, points are worth double.
- Save by bundling your flight with hotel. Whether you
book your flight and hotel at the same time on Expedia or come back
and add a hotel later, you'll save. Travelers save an average of up
to $600 on package bookings.
- Double-check blackout dates. If you're preparing to use
a companion ticket or award miles to book flights, look up the fare
blackout dates so you know exactly what days you can depart and
return home.
- Prepare your travel documents. Don't get left behind
because you didn't have the necessary documents to leave the
country. Remember: processing times for new U.S. Passports range
anywhere from 2-8 weeks, and if you already have a passport make
sure it won't expire within six months of your travel dates.
- Enroll in TSA Precheck or Clear. Save yourself a lot of
time and security line headaches by applying for TSA Precheck or
Clear before your trip. You'll get to skip the longest lines at
security and keep your shoes on. TSA Precheck is absolutely worth
the $85 fee, and your application
lasts for five years. Clear is another great way to speed through
security lines.
- Mark your calendars for major sales. There are so many
ways to save on Expedia before and during the holidays. Our epic
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale – November 29-December 2 – will have hundreds
of deals on flights, hotels, activities, and more.
More information: Visit
www.expedia.com
Cheapest time to buy and fly based on 2018 Expedia.com flight
demand.
About Expedia.com
Expedia.com® is one of the world's largest full-service travel
sites, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book
travel. Expedia.com (https://www.expedia.com/, 1-800-EXPEDIA) aims
to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of top
vacation destinations, affordable airfare, hotel deals, car
rentals, destination weddings, cruise deals and in-destination
activities, attractions, services and travel apps.
© 2019 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Expedia and the
Airplane logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CST#
2029030-50. Visit our web site https://www.expedia.com/ or use our
mobile app to book cheap flights and hotels.
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