If you put off your late summer vacation or if your travel dates are flexible, take advantage of this. The sales will be happening in just a few weeks. It happens every year and this year the special date is August 23rd. If you start looking now for airfares that start on August 23rd or after, you could see a 15-20 percent drop in price. Ofcourse that always depends on from where to where you are going. You might see more or less of a savings, but you should see some.
What’s so special about August 23?
School starts for many kids in mid-August. Supply and demand kicks in and the airlines want your tushes back in their seats. They will tempt you with reduced fares.
How long will this last? Typically, this lasts till mid to late October. Prices may even drop a little more.
What about other savings in 2016?
You bet. These are some of the optimal times for domestic and European flights. Perfect time to take advantage of reduced river boat cruise fares combined with reduced air to Europe.
Mid to late October and the First 2 weeks in November (particularly for domestic flights)
I can personally vouch for this. Last year I booked an open jaw, from San Francisco to Dallas in late October. The return was mid-November; Seattle to San Francisco. My fare was $239.
After the first week of January through mid to late March (except for President’s weekend and those warm beach destinations)
When are the most expensive times to fly?
Of course it’s around the Holidays. If you have to fly, it can be cheaper on the Holiday itself. However, the airlines are getting wise to that. What you might gain is last minute availability.
Thanksgiving (Nov. 24): This itinerary is traditionally one of the most expensive, departing the Wednesday before and returning the Sunday after. If you can leave a day or two before and return on the Saturday or the Monday after, you'll save.
Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's (Jan. 1): They are usually peak travel periods. For Christmas fares really start to spike around December 18th. Return after New Year’s around the 3rd. Later, if the 1st falls on a Friday or over the weekend.
Where do I find these deals? The sales have started. Check out Southwest. Book now for travel beginning when??? You got it, August 23rd.
Words to the Wise: Always compare fares: No airline has a corner on the cheapest fares all the time; not even Spirit, Frontier or Southwest.
Airfare alerts: Airlines can run a "quiet sale” if they need to fill a route. All the fare tracking sites have a way to track fares to a location you want. I still get fare alerts for a trip to Palm Springs, weeks after I flew.
Be flexible: If you have the ability to fly on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, you can usually save.
Now that you got a deal on your air, where do you want to go?
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