If you’ve been waiting to take a vacation – or need another one – get moving. The best time to fly this season is right around the corner.
The magic date: Aug. 23 marks the start of the Fall Deal Zone which generally extends through late October. Make sure you depart on Aug. 23 (or beyond).
How much you can save: This can vary quite a bit depending on departure and destination cities, but a good range is between 11% and 20%.
These examples found late last week should give you an idea. Note: coast-to-coast fares shown are round-trip prices.
American Airlines - LAX to JFK
- Aug. 9-16: $539
- Aug. 23-30: $489
United Airlines - LAX to EWR
- Aug. 9-16: $458
- Aug. 23-30: $392
Best days to fly: Notice that Aug. 23 falls on a Tuesday, one of the cheapest days for domestic flights, along with Wednesday and Saturday. For international flights, Wednesday and Thursday are often cheapest.
Best destinations: We’ve been seeing a lot of tinkering going on with fares to Europe and some are very good deals. Some round-trip fares found in late September for travel on Thursdays.
- United: New York to Paris, $640
- Aer Lingus: Boston to Dublin, $575
- Norwegian: Los Angeles to Oslo, $582
Watch for more tinkering: Remember, airfares can and do change without notice so prices may have gone up since I found these (and they may have gone down, too). Final thought: Besides flying cheaper days of the week, watch out for blackout dates, particularly around Thanksgiving when domestic fares will zoom.
Note: All airfares found on either FareCompare.com or airline sites on 7-22-16.
