WASHINGTON — It wasn’t that long ago when people were making travel arrangements for summer vacations — after all, Labor Day was just last month. So it’s only natural to feel rushed when talking about the need to book holiday travel — but travel expert Ross Kenneth Urken says now is the perfect time.
Urken, personal finance editor at The Street, says because of the way airlines have their algorithms set up for online booking, travelers need to make their flights at least 60 days in advance in order to lock in a fair price.
“We are, right now, in that sweet spot for holiday booking,” he says. “Some estimates are saying that for each day you wait after mid-October, you’re going to be adding about $5 a day to your ticket price.”
If you want to snag a deal on your holiday travel, Urken has a few suggestions. First, he says, look at alternative airports near your destination.
“Stop at a smaller airport, not at a major hub — maybe it’s [Chicago] Midway, not O’Hare; maybe it’s Philadelphia, not Newark or LaGuardia or JFK,” he says.
Travelers can also save money playing “the calendar game.” Urken says this tactic is less about booking your flights on a certain day and time and more about having some flexibility with the days on which you travel.
“Fly on odd hours or odd days,” Urken says. “If you’re going to get that 5:59 a.m. flight, it’s inevitably going to be cheaper than the 8 a.m. or the 9 a.m. If you’re having to get up at ungodly hours, you are going to beat the rest of the people by getting a cheaper price when there’s lack of demand.”
The same flexibility can be said for travel days: If you can fly back early Monday morning instead of Sunday evening, you will save money, since most travelers want to get back in time for the work week.
When booking flights, Urken says to skip the “deal” sites, such as Kayak and Expedia, which essentially pull all of their flights and timetables from the same database, and go directly to the airline’s website.
“Sometimes, you’ll find great deals there because instead of having to pay commission to one of the travel sites, the airline will be able to make the sale directly, and as such, is willing to drop the price a little bit for you,” he says.
And while some airlines might be cheaper and some alternative itineraries might save you a few dollars, when all is said and done, the best thing you can do to save money is to be proactive and book as early as possible.
“We’re up against these airlines that have really figured out a system to predict consumer behavior and they’ve priced accordingly,” Urken says.
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