Three years out of the pandemic, when travel was disrupted from global shutdowns and restrictions, travelers are looking to get out this summer.
According to travel destination site Hopper, nationwide, domestic airfare is averaging around $306 per ticket, down 19 percent from last year and up only 6 percent compared to summer 2019.
But after shutdowns put some holds on international travel, travelers are looking to head out of the U.S.
Airfare to Europe and Asia this summer is the highest it’s been in over five years. Trips to Europe are averaging over $1,100 per ticket and trips to Asia average over $1,800 per ticket.
If you’re heading out of town soon, here’s some expert advice that you should consider before you book.
- 1. Watch flights early and use price monitoring
Apps and websites like Hopper, Kayak, Google Flights or Expedia can help travelers out when booking.
“Prices are constantly changing,” Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper said. “That’s why we really encourage travelers start planning early and use a price monitoring tool.”
Laura Lindsay, director of consumer public relations and communications at SkyScanner, said shopping around with different airlines and airports could get travelers more bang for their buck. But it comes at the price of loyalty points or miles with your favorite airline.
The Points Guy also refers to Kiwi.com or the app Hitlist for extra help finding a cheap deal.
- 2. Flexibility will help cut costs
If you can manage to do the majority of your trip on a weekday, it will pay off.
Thursdays and Fridays are the most popular departure dates, Berg said, especially for European trips.
“If you’re flying to Europe this summer, and you fly on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, you’re going to save an average on a peak weekend of $170 per ticket just by going early in the week,” Berg said.
The same goes for your hotel stay, she said.
Staying at a hotel on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night is significantly cheaper than staying through the weekend. Some hotels charge a 25 percent premium to stay a Saturday night. She said some hotels in Las Vegas have an 80 percent premium for Saturdays, and in Miami, it’s over 100 percent.
- 3. Bring hand luggage only, if possible
Travel lightly, if you can. With how crowded the airports are during the summer travel season, checked luggage could hold you up to getting to your destination.
“We saw disasters with checked baggage last year and we are expecting disruption this year, so if you can carry everything on, it might save you a headache,” Berg said.
Shipgo estimates that passengers wait anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes after a flight just to get their bag. Be prepared for a delay if you decide to travel with multiple pieces of luggage.
During Southwest Airlines’ operational disruption in December, airports across the country became depositories for thousands of suitcases, backpacks and duffle bags.
- 4. Arrive early on peak summer days
Southwest Airlines has planned its busiest year ever at Dallas Love Field and American Airlines is expecting over 52 million customers between May 25 and August 14. Airports will be busy this summer.
Lindsay said to stay informed and watch social media for updates on security lines and crowded airports.
“Some airports will tell you to arrive early because of their security lines,” Lindsay said. “Some airports might tell you not to arrive early because they don’t have extra capacity to house people arriving three hours early. If everybody arrived three hours early, you’ve suddenly got extra passengers in the airport that they can’t accommodate.”
DFW International Airport has a link to monitor security lines on its website. Dallas Love Field recommends passengers arrive at least 90 minutes ahead of their scheduled departure.
- 5. It may not matter how many times you look, what day you book
There are a few myths that people tend to believe, like booking on Tuesdays or booking in the early hours of the morning. The reality of it is, that it doesn’t matter what day or time you book, or how often you click on a certain flight.
“The reality is it’s just how volatile airfare pricing is because of the way the industry works and how airlines are doing the pricing and the way they manage pricing,” Berg said.
She said airlines, oftentimes, don’t know if a person is logged in to their loyalty account when they are searching for flights.
These systems focus on how full is the plane, how many tickets have been sold and even compare the same flight to a week or more ago. She said sometimes carriers will place airfares into pricing buckets.
“If you are searching for a trip, and you see one price, and then you come back three hours later, and you see a completely different price, sometimes it’s higher and sometimes it’s lower,” Berg said. “It can be because maybe two people booked that flight, that fare bucket closed, those prices aren’t available anymore and these new prices are available.”
And in general, Berg said, try to be the first flight out. Travelers on the first flight are less likely to get delayed or canceled from the day’s legs of travel.
