Holiday Travel Is Back, Here's The Best Times To Book Your Flights
The demand for travel has been high this year and there are no signs of slowing down. The fall and winter travel season will be busy, especially after last holiday’s omicron variant surge.
This is the first year since the pandemic that many people will travel to visit their loved ones during the holidays.
Related: 7 Holiday Travel Tips That Won’t Break Your Bank
Lessons learned from summer travel
Summer 2022’s travel season was hectic because of delays and cancelations. A huge reason for the disruptions in the travel schedule was staff shortages. Airlines are learning from that experience and increasing their hiring.
According to the Department of Transportation, U.S. airline employment increased by 6,775 workers in June of this year.
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines did the bulk of the hiring in the airline industry.
Although there has been an increase in staff growth, airlines are still short on staff. The solution many airlines are taking is for shortages is to have fewer flights on the schedule.
Holiday travel tip #1: Don’t delay booking this holiday season
According to industry experts, travelers should start booking holiday travel as early as now.
Travelers will find the best prices on flights for Thanksgiving and December holidays from now until October 20th.
Holiday travel tip #2: Fly off-peak
According to information found by Expedia, flying on the Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday before Thanksgiving will save travelers an average of 5% on flights.
Francheska Taveras, spokeswoman for the Expedia Group tells USA TODAY, “For some destinations, the savings are even bigger — average ticket prices for Las Vegas, for example, drop from around $550 to $380 (round trip) just by changing the departure date to earlier in the week.”
The results are in: The best days to travel this holiday season
To get the most bang for the buck this holiday season, travel when the least amount of people will be flying: Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve.
Related: Why Traveling During The Holidays Can Be Better Than Hanging With Your Family
