Buying Cheap Air Tickets: The Earlier, the Better
School has just started and the last thing that would occupy your time and mind right now is to search for cheap air tickets. But you might be surprise to know that it is exactly the reason why smart travelers always get the best holiday airfare deals—they start their search early.
According to industry experts, post-Labor day airfare sales are being offered by major carriers. They believed that it is never too early for you to start searching for cheap airfare.
Experts said that during the economic downturn, traveling was the farthest thing on people’s mind so buying a ticket was always a last minute decision. Airlines adjusted to this trend by offering airfare sales for last minute deals.
However, as the economy is starting to pick up, airlines were able to predict passenger numbers, making cheap air tickets hard to come by.
If you are a novice traveler, you should know that fall is a non-peak period for air travel. To entice more travel deals during this season, airlines launch fare sales earlier and stretching them longer.
Several major airlines, such as Virgin America, United, JetBlue and American launched travel sales from New York City for as low as $49 for travel until December 17. During winter season, when most people were on Thanksgiving or Christmas travel, airlines will still convince consumers to fly.
Despite some sporadic increases, fares across the United States were still at their lowest compared with previous years. Overall, fares dropped by almost 20 percent compared with last year. Some prices for popular airline routes were increased last summer but were reduced again.
For example, the price of an airline ticket from New York City to Los Angeles jumped across major airlines, but is now down to $218.
Meanwhile, other airlines are being aggressive on their marketing strategies by posting their fare sales on social networking Web sites. This strategy was tried by Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America.
Airlines are also targeting people who procrastinate about booking trips, worrying that they could not afford to travel. To entice this group of consumers, airlines have reduced airfares as departure dates are getting closer. However, there seems to be an exemption during the holidays. Because airlines know that more people travel during the holidays, cheap air tickets would not last long on the market.
So if you are planning to travel during the holidays, scout and book early to get the best holiday airfare deal.
