AAA Oregon: Holiday Travel Tips - KATU

AAA Oregon: Holiday Travel Tips - KATU

It's not too early to book your holiday flights! Marie Dodds from AAA Oregon stopped by to help save us money and time this holiday season.

Thanksgiving flights:

Most travelers will book their Thanksgiving flights between now and October 27th, in order to get the best deals and availability. Our AAA analysis shows that the average price during this time is $491 for a round-trip ticket in the U.S. If you procrastinate and wait until the last minute for Thanksgiving, you can sometimes find a cheaper ticket—about $10 cheaper at $482 on average—but availability will be very limited at that point so you probably won’t be able to travel at your preferred days and times.

Flying Monday of Thanksgiving week is the best option for travelers to arrive at their destinations before the holiday. It has the lowest average ticket price ($486) prior to the holiday, and is a lighter travel day than later in the week.

For travelers, more concerned about crowds than cost, the Sunday before Thanksgiving has the highest average price per ticket ($564) and it is consistently the lightest travel day. Travelers can save by traveling on Thanksgiving Day, which has the lowest average price per ticket ($454).

When you’re flying home after Thanksgiving, the Sunday after the holiday is the busiest travel day, so if you can avoid that day and fly out either the Saturday, Monday or Tuesday after the holiday, you’ll likely save some money and also not have to deal with as many folks at the airport.

Christmas Insights:

While most of us are focused on Thanksgiving travel now, it’s a good idea to consider your Christmas and New Year’s travel plans as well.

AAA found that 61 to 90 days prior to the holiday (between now and Oct. 25) is the sweet spot for Christmas flight bookings, with prices lower on average ($551) than later bookings. However, most travelers book between 28 and 60 days before Christmas — between Oct. 26 and Nov. 27 — and still get a relatively good price ($561 on average).

Like Thanksgiving, last-minute Christmas travelers can find the overall best pricing ($488 on average) seven to 13 days before the holiday week, but flight availability is likely to be very limited by that time.

Regardless what day of the week Christmas falls on (a Wednesday this year), most travelers depart two to four days prior to the holiday. These travelers, on average, pay ticket prices of $593 on Dec. 21, $639 on Dec. 22 (the busiest air travel day of Christmas week), and $603 on Dec. 23.

AAA finds that Christmas Eve is the best day to travel. It consistently has the lowest average price per ticket ($527) and is the lightest travel day of the week. Many travelers opt to travel after the Christmas holiday leading up to New Year’s, and they pay a premium to do so. Dec. 26 has the highest average ticket price of the week at $692.

When it comes to getting the best value for your travel this holiday season, AAA recommends:

• Start researching holiday travel options now and book flights by Oct. 27.
• Consult a knowledgeable travel agent; they can take the guesswork out of researching and evaluating the many available options, saving time, the hassle and the headache.
• Consider purchasing travel insurance for your flight to protect your trip from life’s unexpected surprises that can throw a wrench in your plans.

Last year, AAA projected a record number of travelers over the Christmas and New Year holidays, and we expect another record-breaking year this year. So make those travel plans as early as possible.

For more information, visit AAA.com/Travel.

This segment was sponsored by AAA Oregon.

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2019-10-10 07:04:47Z
http://katu.com/amnw/am-northwest-lifestyle-health/aaa-oregon-holiday-travel-tips
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