Mark your calendar! The best day to buy holiday flights
Attention, travelers: I have good news! Despite a record-setting summer for travel prices, winter isn’t looking so bad — if you know when to book.
Luckily, you have me. I’ve been to 36 countries, and I’m still itching to see the rest of the world. I’ve learned lots of ways to save over the years.
Best time to book for the holidays
Travel booking site Hopper predicts tickets will go up, up, up the later into fall we get. I checked Google’s most recent travel data, too, and it shows you’ll pay the lowest if you book 71 days before departure. Overall, the typical low-price range is 54 to 78 days before takeoff.
🦃 Thanksgiving Day: This year, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 28, so you’ll need to buy your tickets between Sept. 11 and Oct. 5. If you want to go by Google’s data, purchasing on Sept. 18 will give you the lowest price.
🎄 Christmas: If you’re looking at a departure date of Dec. 20, for example, the ideal date range to buy your airline tickets is between Oct. 3 and Oct. 27. Google recommends booking on Oct. 10.
This is what the research says, but if you want to be sure you have a seat on the plane, go ahead and get those tickets ASAP. Another tip: Travel on Wednesdays for the lowest fares, and take the earliest flight you can; If it gets canceled, you have greater odds of catching another flight.
Google Flights’ lowest-price guarantee
This can help you get the best deal on your plane ticket. Here’s how it works: When you book a flight through Google Flights, they guarantee if the price of your ticket goes down after you buy it, they’ll pay you back the difference.
You can tell if a flight has Google’s Price guarantee on Google Flights by looking for a little badge or label that says “Price guarantee” when you’re browsing flights. Not all flights have this guarantee, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for it.
There are a few gotchas, of course. The guarantee only works if you book through Google Flights, and it only covers the difference if the price drops within a certain time after you book.
Get automatic price drop alerts
No one has time to pop in and check flight prices constantly. Online flight trackers send you alerts when prices drop. Options include Google Flights, Kayak, Hopper, Going and Airfarewatchdog. I use Google Flights.
Best time to book to Europe
Here’s research for the savvy world traveler: The golden window for the lowest average prices is 72 days (or even more) before your preferred departure. As the calendar pages flip and you inch closer to that 10-week mark, brace yourself because those airfares tend to soar.
So, if you’ve got European dreams and a passport itching for a new stamp, jumping on those deals without delay is smart.
Now, research from the Komando brain
- Support small: Don’t mind driving a little out of the way? Flights from bigger airports can be more expensive than from the smaller hubs. Include them in your holiday flight research to see if you can score some savings.
- Be flexible: If your schedule allows, staying an extra day or two might get you the best deal. Change the dates around when you search to see when it’s cheapest to fly. Bonus points if you can work remotely or have extra vacation days to burn.
Pro tip: Ask your family to ship your gifts to avoid fees on your flight home. A well-meaning relative might not realize it’ll cost you big money to get your new 15-pound cast iron Dutch oven home.
Share this using the icons below with someone who travels around the holidays. Maybe they’ll spend the cash they saved on your present, just sayin’.
✈️ For the record, I’m shocked we’re already talking about holiday planning! This year has just flown by.
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