How To Find the Cheapest Last-Minute Flights This Holiday Season
Few things are as stressful as knowing you need to book a last-minute flight during the holiday season and struggling to find trips with less-than-astronomical price tags. Knowing the clock is ticking before the flight is sold out, what should you do if you find yourself in this situation? Where should you turn to find cheap flights?
GOBankingRates spoke to several travel experts to uncover what bargain hunters need to know about searching for affordable flights during a holiday time crunch. Here’s what they had to say about booking cheap last-minute flights.
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Book a Wednesday Flight
If you aren’t sure which day of the week offers the cheapest flights, Peter Strebel — president of the Americas region of RateGain, a global provider of travel and hospitality data — has the answer.
“The best day, year-round, to buy an airline ticket is Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the time zone of the airline hub,” said Strebel.
Mercedes Zach — travel expert at Asaptickets, part of Trevolution Group — agreed with Strebel about flight rates being cheaper midweek. Zach also does not recommend travelers fly the weekend right before the holidays since those days will always be more expensive compared to the middle of the week.
“Because fares for the holiday season often fluctuate, it’s worth monitoring your route and setting up alerts to see when prices drop,” said Zach. “Just don’t forget the closer the holiday gets, the more prices will climb, so I recommend not waiting too long.”
What if you can’t find any available Wednesday flights? Strebel said the next-cheapest day to fly on is Tuesday. This year, Zach said the cheapest day to fly is Dec. 19. (This specific date is based on Trevolution Group’s sales data in the past years.)
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Fly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
This year, Christmas Day falls on a Monday which means the days leading up to it will be expensive for holiday flights.
If it’s possible, Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, recommends travelers avoid booking a Friday, Dec. 22 or Saturday, Dec. 23 flight. Instead, look into available flights on Sunday, Dec. 24 or Monday, Dec. 25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively.
Klee’s personal recommendation is to fly on Dec. 24. “For those prioritizing budget savings, Christmas Eve is the best bet, offering substantial savings of nearly $120 compared to flying on Dec. 22.”
Price Compare
Many travelers often seek out sales and deals for last-minute flights during the holiday season. While this can be a great way to save money, Zach said it doesn’t always guarantee travelers are paying the best price to their preferred destination.
The savvier approach, according to Zach, is to compare prices. Travelers may do this with several different travel agencies, airlines and search engines to find the best deals which match your itinerary’s needs.
Explore Connecting Flight Options
Is it too expensive to book a direct flight? Zach recommends looking into connecting flights to save money.
“You may even combine multiple airlines or different modes of transportation,” said Zach. “The more flexible you are, the better deals you can score.”
Can You Redeem Any Travel Rewards?
Take a moment to check in with any airline rewards programs where you might be a member, or a credit card you use where you might have racked up points to redeem for travel.
Zach said it’s possible you might have accrued enough points or rewards for discounted flights, free upgrades or other perks.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How To Find the Cheapest Last-Minute Flights This Holiday Season