If you still haven’t booked your holiday travel, you’ll want to do it sooner rather than later.
For Thanksgiving, prices typically start to climb about now -- about three weeks out. But experts say procrastinators are in better shape than usual.
Scott’s Cheap Flights said it is seeing more manageable last-minute fairs than in years past.
The reason is travel has bounced back but not to pre-pandemic levels and there are a lot of empty seats that airlines are still trying to fill.
Despite the slightly lower prices, you want to always book before the 21-, 14- and 7-day marks. That’s typically when airlines bump up the prices of tickets.
If you’re watching a price that’s fairly stable, set an alarm before those benchmarks and book before them.
But don’t book on a Friday!
The new 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report found Sunday is the best day of the week to book your flight.
On average, travelers save 5% on domestic flights compared to booking on a Friday.
Another way to save: stay flexible with your dates. Try to avoid flying the day before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after.
Those are the two busiest travel days of the year.
You’ll likely save by arriving a little earlier in the week or flying home later the following week.