The experts at Google Flights examined historical data for holiday flights over the last four years to determine the optimal time to buy tickets. 

When Should You Buy Flights for Thanksgiving?

According to Google Flights, you should buy Thanksgiving flights in early October. For domestic trips around Thanksgiving, prices have historically been the lowest 45 days before departure, with the cheapest deals around 26-59 days before the holiday. 

When Should You Buy Flights for Christmas?

You’ll want to buy your Christmas flights a bit earlier, as Google Flights found that domestic flights around the holiday have been the cheapest 58 days before departure. The low price range for Christmas travel is 36-72 days out, so you’ll want to lock in your flights before the end of October. 

What is the Best Day of the Week to Book Flights?

If you see a good flight deal, grab it—don’t wait until Tuesday to book it because you’ve heard that’s the best day of the week to purchase flights. Whether you’re buying tickets for the holidays or just for vacation, there’s “not much benefit to buying your tickets on a certain day of the week,” say Google Flights experts. 

Although Tuesday has historically been the cheapest day to book flights, it’s only 1.3 percent cheaper on average than Sunday, the most expensive day to buy travel.

However, the day of the week that you travel on does impact the price of your ticket—during non-holiday periods, you’ll save money by flying on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, which have been 13 percent cheaper than flying on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. With Thanksgiving always on a Thursday and Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, this trend doesn’t apply to holiday travel.

The Best and Worst Days of the Week to Fly During the Holidays 

If you can be flexible with your holiday travel, try to avoid flying over these dates when travel booking site Hopper predicts that flights will be more expensive and airports are at their most crowded. 

“Departing the week before Thanksgiving or on the Monday ahead of the holiday will save travelers the most,” says Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. “Savvy travelers will save 23 percent or about $60 per ticket by departing on the Thursday before Thanksgiving (11/21) or the Monday of Thanksgiving week (11/25) instead of taking a weekend flight.”

The Best Days to Fly for Thanksgiving

1. Thursday, November 21
2. Monday, November 25
3. Thursday, November 28

The Worst Days to Fly for Thanksgiving

1. Sunday, December 1
2. Saturday, November 30
3. Monday, December 2
4. Wednesday, November 27
5. Saturday, November 23

Berg advises holding off until October to book Christmas flights. According to Hopper, ticket prices for domestic trips are currently averaging $406 per ticket, up four percent from this time last year. However, fares are expected to fall by about $80 until they reach their lowest point in October.

“Departing the week before Christmas or on Christmas Eve or Day will save travelers the most,” says Berg. “Savvy travelers will save 26% or about $100 per ticket by departing on Christmas Eve instead of taking a flight the weekend before the holiday.”

The Best Days to Fly for Christmas

1. Tuesday, December 31
2. Tuesday, December 17
3. Tuesday, December 24

The Worst Days to Fly for Christmas

1. Saturday, December 21
2. Friday, December 20
3. Sunday, December 22
4. Saturday, December 28
5. Friday, December 27
6. Sunday, December 29

The post When Should You Book Your Holiday Flights for 2024? appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Amazon has partnered with Southwest Airlines to offer Amazon Prime members an exclusive discount during the summer 2024 Prime Days event. From July 16 through July 17, Prime members can save up to 30% on base fares at Southwest.com using the discount code PRIME.

Click here to see full details of the sale, along with Amazon’s best Prime Day travel deals.

Some sample fares include:

• Los Angeles LAX to New York LGA $236 RT
• New York LGA to Chicago MDW $120 RT
• New York LGA to Orlando MCO $124 RT
• Boston BOS to Baltimore BWI $155 RT
• Chicago MDW to Orlando MCO $144 RT

The discount is valid for travel within the continental U.S. from August 6 through December 18 and August 13 through December 17 for travel to/from international destinations, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Some blackout dates apply.

Southwest is the first airline to partner with Amazon for Prime Day and other travel companies, offering discounts on cruises, tours, rental cars, and more.

Since 2015, Prime Day has been offering deals to Amazon Prime members. Thousands of deals are available, many perfect for travelers. This year, Prime Day runs July 16-17, 2024.

The post Save 30% on Southwest Airlines for Prime Day appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Try an Incognito Window to Browse or Clear Your Cookies

An incognito window is a way to browse the internet that doesn’t save your history, cookies, site data, or information entered on forms by users.

Some articles have debunked using incognito web browsers, claiming that if flight prices fluctuate mid-search that it’s “likely a coincidence.” However, I know first-hand from my own personal experience that browsing privately, and avoiding being tracked, has usually always paid off.

According to Million Mile Secrets, “studies show that it is a good idea to search for travel using different browsers, both logged in and incognito to find the best deal.”

At the end of the day, it won’t hurt you to try both and see what results you get. You can find out how to open an incognito web browser here.

Purchase Your Flight at the Optimal Day and Time

Comparefare states that “the best time to book a cheap flight within the U.S. is usually on a Tuesday at about 3 p.m. Eastern time.” Flights are cheaper on Tuesdays because many airlines release discounted tickets on Monday nights. 

By booking on Tuesday, Skyscanner has determined that “you’ll save somewhere between 15 and 25 percent.”  It’s also typically more affordable to fly on a weekday. Departing on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday should lower your flight cost. Flight prices tend to start increasing on Thursday, and skyrocket on the weekends.

TripSavvy keeps a running tab on how many months before departure travelers should purchase airfare for different popular destinations. The general consensus is to book “between one month to six months before departure for Europe, one month to five months before departure for the Caribbean, and ten months before departure for Asia.” Like domestic flights, international plane tickets are usually cheaper when purchased on a week day.

To be sure you get the best rate, you should be checking fares at least a few times a week.

Pick Destinations Based on What’s on Sale at the Moment

Have you ever heard of someone throwing a dart at a map, or stopping a spinning globe with a finger, and then choosing that mark as their next travel destination?

Well, if you have, the dart thrower might have spent an arm and a leg for that snap-decision, but luckily you don’t have to!

Instead, Google cheap flight destinations and see where it’s affordable to go during the time you are searching, then plan accordingly. I once met a woman who traveled to countries exclusively based on the deals she found, and that is how she was able to venture to as many exotic places as she did.

Google Promo Codes and Promotions for Your Airline of Choice

You might not know this, but some airlines offer promo codes. You can easily find them by doing a quick Google search. Simply type the words “promo code” and the airline you want to book with into the search bar to check. Bargain hunters should also know that airlines occasionally offer timely promotional deals. For example, this summer Alaska Airlines launched a three-day sale offering discounted fares on select flights for autumn 2024 travel. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for when those deals surface, which leads me to my next tip…

Check Prices Often and Sign Up for Free Price Alerts

The more you check flights for a certain destination, the more you will be able to recognize when a ticket goes “on sale.” Think about how you shop for clothes. If you watch a certain shirt you’ve been eyeing at full price suddenly dip down, you know it’s a good time to buy. The same principle holds true for flights!

If you have exact travel dates in mind, you can cut down your efforts by signing up for free price alerts. These alerts notify you when the specific trip you have your heart set on scales its price back. 

Fly on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, July 4th, or Other Major Holidays

Flying on a holiday is often considered the best time to find the cheapest ticket. Any time I wanted an economical ticket to my hometown, New York, from Los Angeles, I would sacrifice a holiday. 

I either flew directly on Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even July 4th for the cheapest rate possible. It is not always fun or ideal to give up a day that comes around only once a year, but it’s worth it if you are really trying to save big and stretch your money.

Keep in mind that if you do choose to fly in on a holiday, you probably want to budget for a shuttle, Uber or Lyft— that way you won’t be pulling your family or friends away from their festivities to meet you at arrivals.

Be Flexible With Your Travel Dates and Times

If your travel dates are adjustable, you can be patient and wait for the best deals. Patience pays at the airport. What most people don’t know is that if you are waiting to board your plane, and a flight is overbooked, it won’t be long before you hear your gate agent over the loudspeaker asking for volunteers who can wait for the next flight out. If you’re fortunate enough to have a go-with-the flow attitude and the flexibility to wait, you should because the airline will often reward you a few hundred dollars in travel vouchers for being so accommodating. 

Accrue and Use Travel Points From Airlines, Credit Cards, Etc. 

When you use the right credit cards, you can acquire points and miles to help fund your next adventure. For instance, when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening with Capital One’s Venture Rewards card, you get a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles.

Airlines also offer loyalty programs such as frequent flyer miles or travel points that can be used towards future flights. These programs are free, and you can easily rack up miles with every flight you take with the airline, or its affiliate airlines. Once you sign up, you will receive a number that you input every time you purchase a flight on their website. Once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for a free or reduced flight.

The post 8 Tips from a Flight Attendant’s Daughter to Save Money on Your Next Flight appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Avoid making these eight mistakes the next time you fly Southwest Airlines.

Check In Late

Southwest doesn’t have assigned seats. Instead, passengers are divided into three groups (A, B, or C), determining when they will be allowed to board. To ensure that you’re among the first group to board and snag a good seat, you’ll either have to buy a Business Select fare or purchase EarlyBird Check-In. 

The remaining boarding groups are then filled in the order of people checking in, so you’ll want to ensure you check in exactly 24 hours before your flight to get in an earlier group. If you wait and check in closer to your flight time, you’ll likely be among the last people to board and get stuck in a bad seat. 

No-Show For Your Flight

Southwest Airlines has one of the most lenient cancelation policies in the airline industry, allowing you to receive a flight credit or full refund (depending on the ticket type you originally purchased). 

However, you must cancel at least 10 minutes before your flight’s original scheduled departure time in order to get a credit or refund, so it’s in your best financial interest not to no-show for a flight. 

Try to Skip the Boarding Line

If your travel companion gets the “A” boarding group and you’re stuck with the “C” boarding group, don’t try to skip the line and board with your partner. You’ll be sent back in shame to your assigned boarding group.

Stay with your assigned boarding group and only board when your letter and position number are called. 

Forget to Bring Headphones/Chargers

Don’t expect to find seatback screens on any Southwest flights. Instead, the airline offers free inflight entertainment that you can watch on your own tablet or smartphone (without having to pay for WiFi). 

However, not all Southwest planes have USB chargers or outlets at every seat, so make sure you bring a fully charged device (and backup battery) to stay entertained. And don’t forget to bring headphones—Southwest doesn’t provide or sell them onboard.

Saving Seats

Southwest doesn’t have an official policy around saving seats. However, if you board in an earlier group, it’s considered rude to save seats for someone in a later boarding group—especially if you’re trying to save an entire row (or more).

Putting Your Bag on Empty Seats

Likewise, don’t be inconsiderate and put your bag on an empty seat, hoping no one will sit next to you. Keep your belongings contained in your area so people boarding can easily see what seats are open.

Not Packing a Meal

Airlines aren’t exactly generous with in-flight meals these days, but Southwest is especially stingy. Only water will be available on flights traveling 175 miles or less. On flights over 175 miles, you’ll be offered a small bag of snack mix, graham crackers, or brownie brittle. 

Unlike many other airlines, Southwest does not offer food for purchase, so if you’re on a long-haul flight, you might want to bring your own meal or snacks. 

Crowding the Gate

At the gate for your Southwest flight, you’ll see two screens above a line of numbered poles indicating which group is boarding. The A group will line up first and board completely before the B group is called to line up. If you’re not in A group, don’t stand around the gate; you’ll crowd the area and make it harder for others to queue.

The post 8 Things You Should Never Do When Flying Southwest Airlines appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Fly First, Not Last

Sure first class is comfortable, but that’s not what I’m talking about. When flight attendants travel on stand-by, they generally try to get on the first flight of the day, and you should too. It may be early, but these flights are usually cheaper because fewer people voluntarily pay to wake up and travel to an airport before 7 a.m. These flights also have a high “no-show” factor, which accounts for passengers who overslept or decided the night before they weren’t taking their flight but didn’t cancel the reservation, so they just don’t show up. This creates a higher likelihood for empty seats that could be given to those waiting on stand-by or simply to give the passengers on-board a bit more space.

If you’re looking to arrive on time (and who isn’t?), in most cases, the aircraft operating the flight is an “originator,” meaning it’s the first flight of the day for that specific airplane, or it remained overnight at the airport (insiders would call this a “RON”), therefore your plane is already in position for your flight. Airlines try extremely hard not to delay an aircraft’s first flight of the day because it’ll cause a ripple effect for all of the flights that specific airplane will operate for the rest of the day. 

Lastly, should weather affect an on-time departure or cause a cancellation, passengers on the first flight have the benefit of subsequent flights to be rebooked on. Airlines aren’t required to pay for hotels or meals when an issue is weather-related. That could be weather where you are, where you’re going, en-route, or where your aircraft is coming from; a lot can be “caused” by weather and that could mean some unexpected expenses for those booked on flights later in the day.

Don’t Be Afraid of Oversold Flights

For those travelers that aren’t on a set schedule or can adapt to a later arrival, a money-saving opportunity may be found by booking flights that have a high likelihood of being oversold such as flights departing on Friday and Sunday between the hours of 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. These departures, before and after the weekend, are in high demand so most airlines oversell them knowing they can make some extra money by booking seats that don’t exist. They take the gamble that some people won’t show up or will misconnect, opening up seats to be filled by passengers who’ve already paid to be on board, keeping the flight profitable. However, when everyone does show up and check in, the airline has to pay. 

If a passenger is involuntarily denied boarding due to an oversold flight, federal regulations require the airline to pay high fees and compensation, so they do everything they can to avoid that and they start by asking for volunteers to take a later flight. This puts the traveler able to take a later flight in the driver’s seat of a negotiation that could score big returns. I found myself in this exact situation flying from Phoenix to San Diego. I approached the gate counter and identified myself as a volunteer. The gate agent told me that they could offer a $250 future flight credit if I could take a flight departing four hours later and they could bump me to first class. I wavered, stating that the offer sounded good, except that I would be missing dinner with friends which was one of the reasons for the trip. The agent then sweetened the deal by adding in a lounge pass to eat dinner and a refund of what I paid for the flight I would no longer be taking. Deal! I scored a $250 for a future flight credit, a free first class upgrade, and lounge access for free with a $90 refund. 

Miles Aren’t Just For Round Trip Tickets

One of the biggest perks of joining an airlines’ loyalty program, aside from earning elite status, is the ability to accrue miles that you can cash in for free flights. Over the past few years, the industry has drastically changed how those miles are earned, dropping the one mile earned for one mile flown formula and transitioning to miles earned per dollar spent. However, when it comes to redeeming those miles, everyone is on an even playing field. 

The most common thought is to exchange miles for a free round-trip ticket, but many don’t realize you can use your miles for a 50 percent discount on a round-trip reservation. 

For example, if you wanted to fly from New York to Los Angeles and back, use your miles for the one-way segment from New York to Los Angeles, and pay for your return ticket. Although you’ve redeemed miles to get to your destination, you’re earning miles on the return flight you’ve paid for, therefore putting miles back into your account while only paying for one flight out of pocket, scoring 50 percent off. 

The post 3 Incredible Money-Saving Tips from a Flight Attendant appeared first on SmarterTravel.

In honor of Independence Day, low-cost Icelandic airline PLAY is offering 35 percent off of select round-trip flights between the United States and Europe.

Fares are valid from four airports in the US: 

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• New York Stewart International Airport (SWF)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

What Destinations Are Included in the Sale?

The sale includes flights to Iceland, Copenhagen, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.

How to Book

The sale is valid on flights booked July 3 through July 7 at midnight Eastern Time for travel between September 1 to December 15 (for flights to Iceland, Copenhagen, London, Dublin, and Amsterdam) and September 1 to October 31 (for flights booked to Glasgow, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.)

To get the discounted fares, book on Play’s website and use promo code: PLAY4JULY.

Note that for Play’s cheapest fare category, only a small personal item that fits under a seat is included in the ticket price. Select a Play Value or Play Flex to bring a carry-on bag with you.

The post Get Cheap Flights to Europe With Play’s July 4th Sale appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Travel booking site Kayak aims to take the guesswork out of buying a plane ticket with its new Best Time to Travel tool. The site uses data from billions of travel queries to predict future flight prices and help travelers decide when the best time to go is—and when to buy for the best deal. 

How it Works

On the Best Time to Travel homepage, enter your destination and choose one of the preselected lengths of trip options (four days, seven days, or 14 days). There’s no way to filter down by airport here, only by city.

The tool will then tell you what month you should go for the best weather, the least amount of crowds, and the cheapest airfare. This can be helpful if you’re flexible on when you’re traveling, but if you have specific dates in mind, you’ll have to wait until the third step to get more customized data.

After you’ve completed step one, the tool allows you to narrow your trip down by month, and then will display the best dates to travel along with a price chart so you can see how fares fluctuate throughout the month. 

Once you’ve picked the dates you want to travel, scroll down to step three, where you can plug in your exact itinerary and Kayak will show you the latest date by when you should book your flight by in order to get the cheapest price.

The post This New Tool Will Tell You Exactly When to Book Your Flight for the Best Price appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Thinking about booking? Better act fast, as the sale ends in the early morning of May 20.

Destinations on Sale

Deals will be available in 50 popular summer destinations worldwide, including:

• Santorini, Greece: $100 off flights
• Venice, Italy: $100 off flights
• Milan, Italy: $75 off flights
• Maldives: $100 off flights
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: $100 off flights
• Rome, Italy: $60 off flights
• Lisbon, Portugal: $75 off flights
• Tokyo, Japan: $60 off flights
• London, UK: $50 off flights

How to Book

The sale runs May 17 through May 20 at 3 am EST. You’ll only be able to get the discounted prices by booking directly in Hopper’s app. 

Are There Any Restrictions?

No blackout dates or restrictions apply to this sale.

How Can I Save on the Rest of My Trip?

Need a cheap hotel to go with your flight? You can find amazing discounts on hotels all over the world (without waiting for a sale) at SmarterTravel Hotels.

Book Now

The post Flash Sale Alert! Save up to $100 on Summer Flights to Europe & Other Hot Destinations appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The Google Flights team analyzed five years of past airfare data to determine the best methods for finding inexpensive flights. Here’s what they found.

Travel on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday

You’ll typically find cheaper fares if you fly on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday than if you travel on a weekend. According to Google Flights, trips departing on those days are 12 percent cheaper on average compared to weekend departures. For domestic trips, weekday trips can be as much as 20 percent cheaper than weekends. 

Avoid flying on Sundays if possible, as that is generally the most expensive day to travel.

Consider a Layover

If money is more important to you than time, choosing an itinerary with a layover instead of a nonstop flight can save you up to 20 percent, says the Google Flights team. 

However, be sure to factor in how much you will potentially spend during a layover to determine if it’s worthwhile—the money you spend on meals, snacks and drinks at the airport can quickly add up and you might not end up saving that much more compared to flying nonstop.

Don’t Believe the Myth About Booking Flights on a Tuesday

If you see a good fare, go ahead and book it—don’t wait around for Tuesday to see if the price drops. The experts say that ticket prices have only been about 1.9 percent cheaper when booked midweek than over the weekend. 

Know When to Book

Timing is crucial when it comes to finding cheap flights. Google Flights’ data shows that U.S. domestic flights are usually lowest priced 21-60 days before a trip, with the cheapest rates found exactly 44 days before departure. However, this does tend to vary quite a bit by route, and isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Flight prices for peak travel seasons have historically risen further in advance. Here’s when Google Flights says is the best time to book for busy travel periods:

The post How to Find the Cheapest Flights (According to Google Flights Experts) appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Southwest Airlines has a fare drop program that most people don’t know about. If you’ve purchased a ticket with Southwest and the price goes down, you can rebook (for free) at the lower rate and get back the difference in cost.

Simply log on to Southwest’s website and rebook your reservation at the lower fare using the “change/cancel” option that will be displayed. You can also call Southwest directly to rebook at the lower rate.

The type of refund you’ll receive depends on which fare you purchased. 

Refundable Fares

You can choose to receive the difference in fare as a refund to your original method of payment, or as a flight credit.

Nonrefundable Fares

For nonrefundable fares, the difference in price will be returned via a flight credit for future travel. If the ticket is a Wanna Get Away Plus fare, the flight credit can be transferred to another Rapid Rewards member if needed. 

Reservations Purchased With Points

For any ticket that was purchased using points, the points associated with the difference in fare will be returned to your account. 

How to Take Advantage of Price Drops

Unfortunately, you can’t set up an automated alert on Google Flights or similar flight search sites to notify you if your itinerary becomes cheaper—Southwest does not allow third-party sites to show its fares. 

Instead, set yourself a reminder to frequently check the price of your flight to see if it’s gone down. Subscribe to Southwest’s email newsletter (or follow them on social media) to learn about any sales which could be a good indicator that your trip cost has gone down.

The post This Secret Southwest Hack Could Save You Hundreds of Dollars appeared first on SmarterTravel.