If getting to Grandma’s for turkey and trimmings involves a plane trip, you can pretty much stick a fork in cheap fares.
“The week of Thanksgiving usually doesn’t have a lot of sales,” said Tom Parsons, who operates the discount travel website Bestfares.com.
But there is still a glimmer of hope for a cheap seat “if people are willing to be real flexible,” Parsons said.
Last year, travelers who waited until the last minute to buy tickets for holiday travel were rewarded with low fares because airlines had seats to fill.
Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com said he doesn’t see that happening this year. Airlines have drastically reduced capacity because of the economic downturn and rising costs, including fuel.
“There will be far fewer seats,” said Seaney, who urged buying tickets as soon as possible. “Every day you wait to buy for Thanksgiving, tack another $5 to the cost of the trip.”
Bing.com “fareologist” Joel Grus agreed, saying the best deals now involve flexibility. For example, Grus said, “You can save up to 30 percent by flying on the holiday.”
During Thanksgiving, someone might pay $100-plus more to fly than usual, Parsons said.
There are more opportunities for lower fares at Christmas, however. Parsons said it might cost just $30 to $40 more than usual because there is more time to buy, there are more days on which to fly and “there is a pretty steady stream of people coming to and from Colorado to ski.”
Brian Ek of Priceline.com writes that the national average roundtrip fare for Thanksgiving is $389 and for Christmas, $427.
This year’s holiday air tickets are about 10 percent cheaper than last year’s, but Ek added, “I’m still expecting airfares to continue their climb as we head closer to the holidays and seats start to get sold out.”
Ek and Parsons noted that in September, airlines began adding a $10 to $20 surcharge each way on tickets for the busiest days to travel near Christmas and New Year’s.
Parsons rates Thanksgiving travel this way:
• Nov. 22 and 23, the Sunday and Monday before the holiday, softer fares than most Sundays and Mondays.
• Tuesday Nov. 24, essentially a mixed bag.
• Wednesday, Nov. 25, high fares.
• Sunday, Nov. 29, much higher fares.
“People know they’re not flying near the holiday for the lowest fare anyway,” Parsons said. “But still, (the day you travel) could make for a $100-, $150-, $200-per-person difference.”
Passenger traffic during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be down 4 percent from last year, according to the Air Transport Association of America that represents most U.S. airlines.
ATA chief executive James C. May blamed the decrease on the economy.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
Air travel survival tips
• To reduce weather delays, fly early in the day on nonstop flights or connect in warm-weather cities.
• Pack light. Ship wrapped packages ahead or in checked bags.
• Up to 24 hours before departure, go to airline websites for automated check-in options and to check flight status.
• Take a sandwich or snacks, but watch TSA guidelines on prohibited items and limits on gels, liquids and aerosols.
• Arrive early — up to two hours before a flight.
• Take a cab or public transit or be dropped off to avoid full parking lots.
• Have your boarding pass and government-issued photo ID ready for security officials. Put shoes and metal objects into bins to be scanned.
