Waiting For The Lowest Airfare? It May Be Time To Act
MINNEAPOLIS — If you've been waiting for the lowest possible airfare for a trip this summer, it may be time to get off the fence.
Fares have dropped for months while travelers held off buying tickets because they were afraid of losing a job or worried about affording even a scaled-back vacation. But with July 4th fast approaching and jet fuel prices rising, some fares could be set to climb again.
Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said it looks like airlines are trying to halt the fare slide, with recent hikes of $10 and $20 round-trip. Still, he wrote in an e-mail that the minor increases in the last two weeks "have by no means completely curtailed the flood of cheap airline" tickets from the first half of the year. In fact, AirTran recently put out fares that hit new market lows on hundreds of routes, he wrote.
Memorial Day usually signals the end of the best time to book travel, but this year was different. With fewer people traveling, the sales continued. A Travelocity survey shows fares down 17% for travel between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.
The travel website also says travelers are booking 86 days before departure instead of 90 days. That might not sound like a big deal, but Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor at the online travel website, said it takes lots of people booking later to move the needle that much.
Tom Parsons, CEO of discount travel website Bestfares.com, recommends making a top-10 list and checking fares until you find a bargain. Chances are some of your favorite spots will be on sale.
Take a closer look at travel websites, including the airline sites, that often throw in additional discounts if you enter a specific code usually found in a section for promotional fares. Airline websites also offer deals that include hotel and sometimes car rental.
Gabe Saglie, senior editor at travel information website Travelzoo, expects promotions to continue into the summer as people remain hesitant to book vacations far in advance.
"People are definitely becoming more impulse-driven," he said.
Read complete article in USAToday.com
Fares have dropped for months while travelers held off buying tickets because they were afraid of losing a job or worried about affording even a scaled-back vacation. But with July 4th fast approaching and jet fuel prices rising, some fares could be set to climb again.
Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said it looks like airlines are trying to halt the fare slide, with recent hikes of $10 and $20 round-trip. Still, he wrote in an e-mail that the minor increases in the last two weeks "have by no means completely curtailed the flood of cheap airline" tickets from the first half of the year. In fact, AirTran recently put out fares that hit new market lows on hundreds of routes, he wrote.
Memorial Day usually signals the end of the best time to book travel, but this year was different. With fewer people traveling, the sales continued. A Travelocity survey shows fares down 17% for travel between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.
The travel website also says travelers are booking 86 days before departure instead of 90 days. That might not sound like a big deal, but Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor at the online travel website, said it takes lots of people booking later to move the needle that much.
Tom Parsons, CEO of discount travel website Bestfares.com, recommends making a top-10 list and checking fares until you find a bargain. Chances are some of your favorite spots will be on sale.
Take a closer look at travel websites, including the airline sites, that often throw in additional discounts if you enter a specific code usually found in a section for promotional fares. Airline websites also offer deals that include hotel and sometimes car rental.
Gabe Saglie, senior editor at travel information website Travelzoo, expects promotions to continue into the summer as people remain hesitant to book vacations far in advance.
"People are definitely becoming more impulse-driven," he said.
Read complete article in USAToday.com
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