Last year, it was easy for people to jump on a holiday flight last minute and actually save money. Back then, prices went down sharply because airlines scrambled to fill seats, but this year airlines are prepared.
The New York Times reports that this year, waiting to purchase holiday airfare tickets could be detrimental to your travel budget if you wait too long. Fares are still low, in fact, a little lower than last year at this time, but they are rising, even daily. According to the NYT’s research, Thanksgiving travel has risen 6 percent in just the last week, especially on the most popular flight agenda – Wednesday, Nov. 25- Sunday, Nov. 29.
If you’re looking to get the most affordable deal possible, travel experts suggest buying your holiday flights as soon as possible, but definitely before the end of October.
We checked a sample route from New York JFK International Airport to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for the above-mentioned Thanksgiving travel days and found these rates:
Round-trip Flights from New York to Atlanta
Nonstop Delta Air Lines flights from $563
One-stop American Airlines flights: from $576
One-stop Northwest Airlines flights from$676
One-stop, US Airways flights from $520
Although prices are rising, there’s still an opportunity to capitalize on cheap flights, so get going.
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
