Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times for airline operators as more passengers nowadays travel to spend time with their loved ones. Plane ticket prices can be quite expensive but with some strategies, it's not impossible to find cheaper fares.
Here are some tips to find the best airline ticket prices for Thanksgiving 2015.
Signing up for fare alerts
Travelers should get proactive in finding cheap fares by singing up to get fare alert apps from websites such as Hitlist, AirfareWatchdog and more. The co-founder and CEO of Hitlist, Gillian Morris, suggest that travelers should monitor fare prices for their travel and then book when prices drop.
"People say there's an optimal time to book flights. But the truth is that flight prices change with the market, so that optimal time can't be predicted. Even the most sophisticated price prediction algorithms are wrong close to 40 percent of the time, which means you are almost as likely to lose money as save money by buying at a set time like three weeks before travel," says Morris.
Ticket price may change rapidly and without notice, so customers should take advantage of what they think is the best price.
Flexibility
Travelers should be flexible with their travel dates to find a good airline ticket at a cheap price. Normally, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25 of this year) and the Sunday, or early Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29, or Nov. 30 of this year) are the most expensive dates to travel. Airline operators are very unlikely to offer any incentives on these days and travelers should consider other days for their journey.
Traveling during a specific time of the day may also make a difference in ticket fare price. Customers should not be choosy when it comes to the time of travel. The most expensive travel time is between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the morning and between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the evening. Cheap flight tickets are sometimes available if the flying time is between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Clearing Cookies
Some experts believe that clearing cookies from your browser or searching via a separate browser may help in finding the best deal.
Visiting a travel website from a new browser tricks the website to believe that the user is a new visitor and tries to attract them with cheaper fare tickets.
Book with two different airlines
Frequent flyers may believe that as they use a specific airline more frequently, they will get better rates during Thanksgiving. However, this may not be the case always. Booking a return journey with two different airline operators can sometimes be cheaper.
Alternate Airports
Some cities have more than one airport, which can benefit many travelers during Thanksgiving. Flying from a not-so busy airport may help passengers save extra money on ticket cost. A website called AlternateAirports can help travelers look for nearby airports.
Low-cost airlines
Air travelers should not just check the ticket price of their seat. They should also check the associated costs involved. Some low-cost airline flight operators may attract customers with cheap ticket price. However, many of the low-cost airlines charge passengers for checked-in luggage, hand luggage and specific seat assignment.
Customers should add the total cost of travel before booking a ticket with a low-cost airline.
Consulting a travel agent
With the emergence of the Internet, many people do not consult travel agents to book their tickets. Travel agents may charge a fee but some will do the hard work of finding a cheap fare.
Travel agents also have specialized tools that can search for alternate airlines, routes and other factors to get the best fare. It is always worth discussing travel plans with a travel agent so they can maximize your budget for your Thanksgiving vacation.
Photo: Jennifer Whiting | Flickr
