Travelers planning to travel domestically or internationally this Thanksgiving and holiday season are advised to book their tickets by latest end of October to save money.
According to the 2024 travel trends report for holidays, which is based on four years of data from Google Flights, the lowest prices for domestic travel before and after Thanksgiving day are 45 days before the flight departure.
Other lowest prices were found between 26 and 59 days before the flying date, then the best time to book if you’re planning to travel right before or after the Thanksgiving holiday would be early next month.
For the Christmas holiday season, ticket prices were lower between 36 and 72 days before departure and the cheapest 58 days before departure, meaning it’s best to buy tickets for Christmas travel in late October.
International flights were the cheapest between 50 and 101 days before departure, with prices starting to increase within 50 days, so it’s best to book as early as possible if you are planning to travel abroad for the holidays.
Prices were lowest 94 days before departure for travel to Europe and 44 days before departure for travel to Mexico or the Caribbean.
On the Los Angeles-Incheon, Korea route, some airlines are offering special promotions, making it advantageous to purchase tickets ahead.
Asiana Airlines is offering tickets from LA to Incheon starting at $659 one-way and $1,053 roundtrip, including taxes, until October 8. The promotion is valid for travels departing until April 30 next year, excluding peak season departures from December 12-27.
An Asiana Airlines official for the U.S. office said, “It’s usually cheaper to buy four to five months in advance of the peak season, but during the semi-peak season, we occasionally offer discounts a month or two before departure, depending on the availability of seats. Generally speaking, daytime flights are cheaper than night flights, which have higher occupancy rates, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are cheaper than other days of the week.”
“It’s hard to say when it’s the cheapest because the promotions vary from time to time,” said a representative from Air Premia’s LA office.
Air Premia has been running monthly deals since May and is currently offering up to 50% off round-trip tickets until 8 a.m. on October 3.
Prices start at $841 in economy class, including taxes, from LA, $856 from San Francisco, and $1,031 from New York, and are valid through travels departing on December 11. When booking online at airpremia.com, you can enter USA50 in the promotion code to receive a discount.
Prices varied based on the day of departure. Tickets were 13% cheaper on average on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday than on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The price difference increases up to 20% when comparing domestic flights only.
When looking at travel with connecting flights, direct flights were on average 25% more expensive.
Domestic travel during the summer vacation season, July and August, had the lowest prices between 13 and 43 days before departure, with the lowest prices 21 days prior to boarding day. For spring breaks, in March and April, the tickets were cheaper 33 to 59 days before departure, with the lowest price being 44 days in advance.
BY NAKI PARK, HOONSIK WOO [park.naki@koreadaily.com]
