While almost everyone desiring to travel over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays wants to be able to purchase cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, often they are uncertain when they should start shopping for the best prices.
Many airline experts recommend people who plan to fly over Thanksgiving should start purchasing tickets at the very end of August through early September. Often reasonable prices can be found through mid October.
The following are other steps that can help save on holiday airfare:
Be flexible as to the days you fly. The most costly days to fly are the Wednesday (November 21st) before Thanksgiving, as well as the Sunday (November 25th) and Monday (November 26th) after the holiday. These are also the busiest days to fly.
Cheaper flight dates are all the other days around the holiday and can cost 10 to 20 percent less, with travel on Thanksgiving being the cheapest, as much as 30 to 50 percent cheaper than the most expensive days.
If you have any excess vacation time built up, save those days to travel over Thanksgiving so you do not have to travel on the most expensive days.
Remember the closest airport to your destination is not necessarily the cheapest. Be open to pricing out airfares to nearby airports, within 50 to 200 miles away, to see how much you can save.
If saving money on airfare is a high priority, be open to departing at the crack of dawn or taking a red-eye flight and be willing to take a trip with two, or even three, connections. Multiple connections are not recommended for families traveling with children, but can work for people traveling alone or as a couple.
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