Americans want to travel this summer, but money woes are stressing people out. There are ways to get cheap flights, experts say, but it may involve a bit of detective work.
“All estimates show that it’s going to really be a busy summer,” Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide Economics, told MarketWatch.
From the number of passengers flowing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints — which are back at pre-pandemic levels — to data from booking websites, analysts are seeing “record levels of interest in travel,” he added.
In April, booking website Expedia said flight searches are up 25% for travel between June through August as compared to last year.
A new poll by Generali Global Assistance, a travel insurance company, revealed that 63% of Americans plan to travel this summer — specifically between June and September. The poll surveyed over 1,000 residents of 15 countries between March and April.
“In April, booking website Expedia said flight searches are up 25% for travel between June through August as compared to last year.”
But with the summer expected to be a period of high fares and volume, people looking to book summer travel now may feel shocked after seeing prices for hotels and flights.
Flight tickets to Asia and Europe this summer are already at the highest level they’ve been at in more than five years, travel app Hopper said. As of the end of May, the typical flight from the U.S. to Asia this summer was $1,890, while a U.S. to Europe flight was around $1,188, the company said. “Both have increased more than $300 per ticket compared to last summer,” it added.
The biggest concern among the international travelers surveyed was inflation, according to the Generali poll. For American travelers, 61% indicated inflation was a top concern.
The poll also indicated that travelers this summer were planning to spend $3,013, a 6% increase on last year. As a result, people are on the lookout for discounts or offers. Only 39% said they’ve booked their trips, signaling that they’re waiting longer to do so, and two-thirds of the Americans polled said they might look for last-minute deals.
About a third of the respondents said they planned to travel abroad, while 37% said they were opting for a domestic trip. Domestic trips tend to be cheaper and don’t necessarily entail air travel.
Tips for the stressed out travel planners
For the stressed out last-minute traveler, scoring a cheap ticket may sound like a pipe dream, but fear not — it may actually be possible. But be warned that it may be time-consuming, and not for the faint-hearted.
So let’s take a potential trip from New York to London from June 1 to June 8. The cost of a direct, round-trip ticket from JFK to Heathrow is $890 on American Airlines
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Here’s how you can lower the cost of travel.
Use Google Flights
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to initially look for flight tickets, and compare with the prices you get on airlines’ websites. Many travel hackers swear by Google Flights, as it gives them the flexibility to look at different dates, different cities to fly out of, and more.
1. Be flexible on dates and locations
While some people may not be able to adjust their dates or times due to life circumstances, Ryan Horn, a travel blogger, suggested being flexible when booking flights.
“There are certain days of the week, and certain points of the summer that tend to be cheaper than others — for example, late August/early September tends to be cheaper than July,” he told MarketWatch. “I like to use the flexible date calendar tool on Google Flights to compare.”
Use the date grid or the price graph on Google Flights to see when flights are cheaper. By cutting the NYC-London trip shorter and booking it a little later, between June 7 and June 13, reduces the cost of the flight to $655.
Flying direct may be the easiest, but it’s also costly in some cases. So consider stopovers. The $655 flight from NYC to London entails a seven-hour stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland, before the passenger embarks on a short flight to Heathrow Airport in London.
Once you’ve got your dates locked in, try to book the flight directly with the airline.
2. Fly out of a different airport
Horn also suggested being flexible with airport departures.
“Similarly with location, check out prices for not-as-popular destinations, or look for a close-by airport for the destination you want to go to, and drive the remaining distance,” he said.
Flight fares do vary by departure city: People flying out of Midwestern cities to other places in the U.S. saw the biggest increases in airfare, according to a separate report by CheapAir.com. Flint, Mich. saw the highest spike — up 35% over last year. The main Flint airport is small, and offers commercial service on just three airlines, the report noted.
(The report analyzed 128 million air fares for 74 departure cities across the U.S. Akron and Dayton, Ohio were the No. 2 and No. 3 had the second and third biggest increases over last year at 32% and 30%, respectively.)
Is Newark cheaper than JFK? Is Gatwick cheaper than Heathrow? If you’re leaving from and visiting a big city with multiple airports, check fares for all the airport departures and returns. If the airport ends up being really far from your final destination, however, consider the cost of traveling there via ride-hailing app, cab, train or bus, or even driving.
3. Use a VPN to book your flight
On TikTok, some users suggest using a different location on an airline’s website or a Virtual Private Network of a different country, which may end up giving you a lower price — but use that at your own risk.
Sometimes looking for a flight with a VPN logged into a different country may lower the cost of your ticket, but the reverse can also be true, according to the travel blog Thrifty Traveler.
Why might using a VPN result in a different price? “Airlines and travel booking sites use a pricing model called dynamic pricing,” according to the BarefootNomad.com. “This means that prices can change depending on factors like your IP address, your purchase history, browsing habits, your ZIP code, demand and supply, and even which Wi-Fi you’re connected to, among other factors.”
4. Look for industry newsletters that keep track of cheap flights
Horn also suggested keeping tabs on newsletters that track cheap flights. Aside from getting Google alerts or alerts from travel websites and airlines about price drops, consider signing up for newsletters from Thrifty Traveler, Going, and others.
“These services have teams that are constantly searching for cheap flights, and sending them out as soon as they see them,” Horn said. “Taking advantage of these deals does require flexibility, though.”
5. Act fast, cancel later
And if you happen to stumble across a cheap flight, most of the travel websites and Horn said book first, then figure out the details later.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has regulations that say airlines have to offer you the chance to hold your fare, or to get a cash refund within 24 hours of booking. So you can book first then decide later if you decide to bail on your plans. But make sure you book directly with the airline, and at least a week in advance.
And of course, take advantage of those credit-card offers if your finances allow for it, as booking travel with points is one of the best ways to score a good deal. Many banks are offering rewards or points for new accounts, but as always, don’t open accounts and spend money that you won’t be able to pay back.
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