Summer 2017 Travel: 10 Places To Go Where The Airfare Is Low From Cheapflights.Com, As Low As 40% Less Than Last Year

Start Planning Your Summer Getaway with These 10 Places to Where the Airfare is Low

If you put off that big summer vacation last year, this year might be the time to pick up and go. The travel experts at Cheapflights.com, the leader in finding and publishing online travel deals, have found that even after last summer’s seemingly record-low airfares, average flight prices to over half of the most popular destinations are shaping up to be more affordable this summer. A year-over-year comparison reveals a number of great getaways with notable (as much as 41 percent) discounts over last year’s average flight prices.

Pulling from this research, the Cheapflights.com team has made its picks for 10 places to go where the airfare is low with a line-up of destinations near and far to help you shape your summer travel plans. Check out these destinations that top the list and start packing:

·         Barcelona, Spain, down 41% over last summer – Admiring Pablo Picasso’s art at the Museu Picasso, strolling Las Ramblas, walking through Gaudi’s Parc Guell and sampling Spanish wines and savory tapas are perennially popular pastimes in Barcelona. Thanks to the newly opened L9 metro line, visitors can now quickly and cheaply travel from Barcelona Airport to the city. Barcelona offers many new attractions this year, including the newly opened Ferrari Land and the opening of Sant Pau’s newly restored Sant Salvador hall. Barcelona is also hosting the 10th annual Circuit Festival, the largest LGBTQA festival in the world.

·          Venice, Italy, down 31% over last summer – A trip to Venice, Italy, is always a priceless experience. Adding inexpensive airfare only sweetens the deal. There's plenty to do in the summertime, including experiencing the new Viva Vivaldi multimedia show at the Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra, which pays homage to Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi. Venice’s social summer calendar is also filled with notable events like the Festa di San Marco, a water parade of traditional row boats; La Biennale, the (mostly) free art biennial event that features hundreds of international artists; and the Venice Film Festival in the Lido.

·          Lisbon, Portugal, down 26% over last summer – Step back in time in Lisbon, Portugal. The coastal capital city is the picture-perfect place for summertime strolls past ornate, colonial architecture, historic sites like St. George’s Castle and Instagram-worthy views. Take a break from walking and hop on Tram 28 through the hilly Alfama neighborhood and get lost in the narrow, cobblestone streets flanked by cafes and shops.

·         Knoxville, Tennessee, down 17% over last summer – Knoxville, Tenn., has a rich 225-year-old history that has beckoned travelers for decades. Music lovers will appreciate this summer's cheap airfare, as well as diverse musical offerings, including free live music six days a week at the Downtown Visitors Center and A-list country and rock ‘n’ roll concerts. A free trolley whisks travelers around downtown where visitors can learn more about the Civil War sites in the area.

·         Dublin, Ireland, down 16% over last summer – The U.S. now has 20 airports offering direct flights to Ireland, making access easy and increasing the chances of scoring cheap airfare. You don’t need the luck of the Irish to discover Dublin on a budget either. We’ve found plenty of cheap (and many free) things to do in the capital of the Emerald Isle, like shopping local at the popular Ha’Penny Vintage and Craft Market, listening to local musicians for free at Whelan’s and people watching on Grafton Street. Summertime is also prime time to visit Dublin. Special events this summer include Bloomsday in celebration of James Joyce, Taste of Dublin and the Dublin Writers Festival.

Five equally awesome destinations (also with lower average airfares this summer) include: Colorado Springs, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina; Hilo, Hawaii; Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Spokane, Washington. For more details and Cheapflights.com’s complete list of 10 places to go where the airfare is low, head to www.cheapflights.com/news/summer-airfare-deals.

The Worst Day To Buy A Plane Ticket

How far in advance you need to buy a flight for the lowest price, according to new data

Prices for airline tickets can be volatile. What are the worst days and the best days to buy a plane ticket? Here are some details.

By 

SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Updated Dec. 11, 2015 10:00 p.m. ET

22 COMMENTS

It may be tempting to dream of vacations and book some leisure travel as you head into the weekend. Resist. Airline tickets are generally priciest on Fridays.

Average prices for tickets bought on Friday are 13% higher than on Sunday, according to a new analysis of tickets sold world-wide over the past year. One reason: Leisure travelers tend to book discount trips more heavily on weekends, while business travelers typically pay higher fares booking reservations at the end of the work week.

Prices creep up on Fridays. Fare sales typically expire before Friday and many airlines launch their price hikes at the end of the week to see whether competitors all match over the weekend. Also, the inventory of available cheap seats sells down during the week before replenishment over the weekend or early in the week.

ENLARGE

“I personally would shop the weekend and the beginning of the week and avoid Friday,” says Greg Schulze, Expedia’s senior vice president of global tour and transport.

Expedia and Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes tickets booked through travel agencies, studied hundreds of millions of tickets purchased over the past year. The study found that airfares globally were 8% lower in October than the same month a year earlier, with a 6% decline for travel within North America and a 16% drop for flights within Europe.

Airlines, especially low-fare carriers, have been adding planes to their fleets and flights to their schedules, increasing competition and reducing fares to fill those added seats. Low oil prices have made it cheaper for airlines to try new flights, helping bring down prices.

The hunt for the lowest fare is a constant source of frustration for travelers. Sometimes they see prices drop as soon as they buy tickets and other times see prices climb when they wait hoping for a better deal. And while there’s good news in lower prices for travelers after several years of escalating airfare, the study reinforces the reality that there is no magic formula for getting the best price, other than trying to book early.

How early you buy is the biggest factor in whether you get a good price. The sweet spot is about two months before departure. The study found the lowest-priced economy tickets for a flight within North America were sold, on average, 57 days before departure.

For trips from North America to the Caribbean, the cheapest day to buy was 77 days in advance, on average. Trips within Europe showed their lowest price at 140 days before departure. And from North America to Europe, the lowest prices were available, on average, a whopping 176 days before takeoff. That means that right now would be best time to book early summer trips to Europe.

Patrick Surry, chief data scientist at fare-tracking firm Hopper, sees benefits in buying even earlier than 57 days on domestic trips. On many flights tracked by Hopper, the cheapest prices for domestic U.S. trips are about 80 days before departure, and international markets drop to their lowest price about 120 days before takeoff, or roughly four months before you fly.

But chasing the absolute cheapest price can be a trap in the airline pricing game. Airlines don’t start actively managing the price of seats on a particular flight until about three months before departure for domestic flights and five or six months for international trips, says Rick Seaney, chief executive for FareCompare, a search site for flights and hotels. That’s when price cutting typically begins.

“You can buy too early,” Mr. Seaney says.

Tuesday used to be considered the best day to buy because you were most likely to catch a sale. Airline pricing executives come to work Monday and look at sales over the weekend. If not enough seats sold, they put together sales and load discounted prices into systems Monday night, posting ads in Tuesday newspapers.

Two-thirds of all sales are still loaded into reservation computers early in the week starting Monday night, and typically last only a couple of days, Mr. Seaney says. But sales these days are full of restrictions—and often only good for travel on unpopular flights. Airlines can target specific markets with flash sales through social media, or just by tweaking prices on individual flights.

“Fare sales as they used to be are few and far between. Airlines are constantly making adjustments up and down,” Expedia’s Mr. Schulze says.

Knowing that many price-conscious travelers are shopping on weekends, airlines often post their lowest prices on Saturdays and Sundays, which are also days when business travelers aren’t likely to snag inexpensive fares.

ENLARGE

Analysis by Expedia and Airlines Reporting Corp. shows that airfares are 13% higher on Fridays than on Sundays. PHOTO: EYESWIDEOPEN/GETTY IMAGES

Airline pricing computers score each flight and measure it against the competition. If a flight has better times or connections, that means it likely will be more attractive to customers and can command higher prices. But if a flight is lagging behind historical buying patterns, computers may shrink the price to fill more seats.

That happens early. The days of last-minute discounts to fill up airplanes are long gone. Airlines are filling close to 90% of their seats. Last-minute fares are high for business travelers, not low for spur-of-the-moment leisure fliers. “It’s not like you can show up at the airport with your suitcase and get a ticket for half price,” Mr. Surry says. “The sad truth for consumers is there is no golden rule you can use to beat the airlines.”

The Expedia/ARC report, which includes data from some airlines on direct sales, as well as tickets purchased through online and traditional travel agencies, shows there is no single clear day to find the cheapest deal for all fights. In most regions, Expedia and ARC data show, cheapest tickets are sold on Sunday or Saturday. But that’s largely a function of higher-priced business travel bookings not being made over the weekend.

Expedia’s Mr. Schulze says, however, that when business travel is taken out of the mix and leisure tickets are analyzed alone, Expedia sees the same overall trend: The weekend tends to be cheaper.

Tuesday is still the least-expensive weekday, and Fridays average 3% higher prices than Tuesday for trips within North America. But the bottom line is that fares bounce around so much, each day may be different. When you see a good price, grab it.

“Deals are available all the time,” says Chuck Thackston, ARC’s general manager of data and analytics.

WOW: Icelandic Discounter Known For $99 Fares To fly To L.A., San Francisco

A rendering of an Airbus A330 in the colors of WOW Air. (Photo: WOW Air)

The Icelandic discounter that’s made headlines by offering $99 one-way fares to Europe is expanding its U.S. footprint.

WOW Air announced on Monday that it will begin flying to the West Coast of the United States next summer, launching nonstop service from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to its main hub near Reykjavik. WOW did not reveal a precise launch date, saying ticket sales would begin in January.

The new routes would give WOW six destinations in North America, including four in the USA. WOW’s existing U.S. cities are Baltimore/Washington and Boston. WOW will launch service to the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto in May.

USA TODAY

WOW Air offers $99 fares to Europe; What's the catch?

USA TODAY

Iceland's WOW air adds Boston, BWI; $228 to Europe

“We are thrilled to add Los Angeles and San Francisco to our fast growing network. This is a game-changer for WOW air as we cement ourselves as the industry leader in the ultra-low-cost long haul category,” Skúli Mogensen, WOW’s founder and CEO, says in a statement.

WOW, which launched commercial service in 2011, has so far operated a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 narrowbody planes. But to add the long-haul routes between Iceland and the U.S. West Coast, WOW will add three Airbus A330-300 widebody jets to its fleet. The airline will fly the aircraft with 340 seats in an all-economy class configuration.

“With the addition of these long-range A330-300 aircraft to our fleet, we will be able to offer fares from Europe to the West Coast of the United States far cheaper than our competitors whilst maintaining great service with a smile, as we did with our routes to Boston, Baltimore/Washington D.C., Toronto and Montreal,” Mogensen says.

As for the new California routes, WOW plans to fly to San Francisco five days a week and to Los Angeles four times a week.

USA TODAY

WOW Air CEO bullish on U.S. market

USA TODAY

WOW Air expands to Canada, rolls out $75 flights to Iceland

WOW announced in 2014 that it would begin flying from the U.S. in 2015 with flights from Baltimore/Washington and Boston. The carrier generated headlines by selling flights on those routes for as low as $228 round-trip — including taxes — for flights to Iceland on connecting itineraries to destinations like London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Still, as an "ultra" low-cost carrier, WOW's customers will likely find it difficult to avoid paying additional charges. WOW charges for everything from checking a bag (starts at $48) to requesting an advance seat assignment ($3 to $38 per flight). Small carry-on bags are free, but bags weighing more than 11 pounds will cost at least $29 to bring on board.

And, while the carrier's previous $99 sale fares to Europe drew much attention, WOW's return flights to the U.S. were offered at higher prices. Still, round-trip fares were available for anywhere from $228 to $350 and up during those recent sales from BWI and Boston.

Source: Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

The Cheapest Days To Fly And 12 More Holiday Travel Tips

By Hilary Solan, Travelzoo

Complaints about stressful holiday travel are as old as St. Nick himself. Armed with these tips, you'll be able to pack some holiday cheer (plus unwrapped presents) while en route to grandma's.

1. Pick the right day to fly.

Busy airports, crazy-high fares, winter weather delays -- are you sure you want to do this? The busiest (and most expensive) travel days of the year are around the holidays. You'll save a lot of stress and a small stocking of cash by picking the right days to fly. We also have handy fare calendars to show you the cheapest day to fly on 1000 popular routes.

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2. Rise and shine.

Don't want to miss the carving of the turkey or the unwrapping of presents? Book the earliest flight you can. Sure, you've got to wake up early, but those first flights out are the least likely to be delayed, and airports are blessedly calm at those hours if you're flying with the entire family. Or, fly on the actual holiday. Airports are much less busy, and if you fly early, you're still there in time for the festivities.

3. A word about connecting flights...

When booking flights with a connection and have a choice of airport, choose the one farther south -- less of a chance of a weather delay. And keep in mind that airports will be busier over the holidays, so allow some extra time to connect.

4. Upgrade your flight.

Business travel is slow over the holidays, so those seats taken by business travelers tend to be empty. Look for business class seats on international flights -- you might be surprised to find that the upsell for the upgrade is only a couple hundred bucks.

5. It's a wrap on pre-wrapping presents.

Instead of packing a bunch of presents, consider buying your gifts online and have them shipped to your destination (to your name). Then just pack some gift bags and a sleeve of tissue paper and quickly wrap the presents when you get there.

6. Worried about traffic? Consider the train!

There's a lot less stress when you're not the one driving, and there's no one else on the road. Watch the wintry scenery go by with a warm drink or wine in hand while catching up with your loved ones en route.

7. Drive on the day of.

Some deal experts swear by this: drive on Christmas Day itself. You do need to make sure you've planned ahead and topped off your tank on the 24th, but if you ever want to feel like the freeways are all yours, spend a peaceful day on the road and timeshift your celebrations a little bit. It's completely painless ... but your fast food options might be a little more limited than usual.

8. Avoid getting hangry.

Pack snacks! Assuming that you're going to have time to grab something at a rest stop/pit-stop/café car is a surefire way to guarantee you won't. Grab some nuts, a piece of fruit and an empty water bottle before you head out the door to make sure you aren't hangry when you get to your final destination.

9. If worse comes to worse, think ahead.

Busy holiday travel can occasionally mean chaotic airport runs and oversold flights. If your plans are flexible, capitalize on oversold situations by offering to get on the next flight out -- you'll get a hefty travel voucher and can usually negotiate other perks such as priority lounge access or even a first-class seat on your new flight (based on availability).

10. Speaking of vacations...

For those looking to get away, consider a destination Thanksgiving out of the U.S. It's just a normal Thursday everywhere else -- so hop on an international flight and enjoy the holiday somewhere new.

11. Taking a week around Christmas to travel?

Go the week before instead of the week after the holiday. Deals are all over the place -- especially on vacation packages, cruises and hotels -- and you can enjoy the holiday spirit somewhere new.

12. New Year's Eve across the country...

Manhattan hotel prices skyrocket on New Year's Eve, but the Big Apple is not the only place to celebrate. Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Boston and Burlington, to name a few, host an array of festivities to bring in the new year, and low rates can be found at many of the hotels.

13. Cyber Monday sales.

Good things come to those that wait, and if you can hold out until Cyber Monday, you'll find that many hotel chains will be offering flash sales, including some holiday and last-minute stays. Subscribe to hotel newsletters so you can get the inside scoop, and keep an eye on Travelzoo for the latest and greatest offers.

This post was originally published on Travelzoo.

Hilary Solan is an editor at Travelzoo and based in Chicago. Travelzoo has 250 deal experts from around the world who rigorously research, evaluate and test thousands of deals to find those with true value.

Travelore Tip: Creative Ways To Get Lower Airfare

There are still a number of fun, creative ways to find lower airfare, if you don’t mind where you’re going and you know where to look—and at what specific time.

Every Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET),Alaska Airlines runs something called the Fast Dash Sale and tips off customers on the destination through Twitter.

American Airlines sends out its last-minute deals on Tuesdays for the upcoming weekend as well as the following weekend.

You’ll also find great deals on Tuesdays at Southwest Airlines, with its Click-N-Save emails.

If you’re headed to South America, Azul now sells a ten-day all you can fly in Brazil ticket for just $299. You just need to buy this ticket in conjunction with your original round-trip ticket from the U.S.

Some airlines offer something called blind bookings. These are mystery flights.

Just pick your dates, your interests, and even sometimes your sexual preference—andGermanwings picks your destination.

For more tips on how you can save on travel, check out:

• How You Can Save Money By Booking Online
• Getting Deals With Last-Minute Travel Apps
• What Your Dollar Buys on Booking Sites

Source:  PeterGreenberg.com