As the summer travel season heats up, many people are dreaming about vacation trips.
Finding great deals on flights can seem like a daunting task, but with a few smart strategies, you can save big on your next flight.
“We're seeing airfares normalize,” said Katie Nastro, travel expert at Going.com. “The average airfare price is down about 6% year-over-year and about 15% from the absolute, very inflated prices of summer 2022.”
Nastro said there are a few things travelers should keep in mind when planning their next summer vacation trip.
“We always say make your destination a contract. You can fly again from Boston to a place like Cancun for $261 round trip,” Nastro said.
Going.com allows travelers to explore a variety of possibilities. By pressing the “Choose” button, users will see discounted airfare prices, view availability dates, and provide price history for flights. Be flexible with your travel dates. Airfares are cheaper on weekdays, so consider flying to or from a nearby airport.
The airline is catering to owners who don't want to put their four-legged best friends in a cage or carrier while traveling. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for NBC4 News on May 23, 2024.
“Having flexibility in choosing which airports and cities you fly into can help reduce some of your overall airfare costs,” Nastro says.
Consider using a fare comparison website such as Google Flights or Skyscanner, which allows you to compare fares across multiple airlines and set up price alerts to monitor fare changes. With Skyscanner, you can select “Explore Everywhere” as your destination and be flexible with your dates to find the best flight deals.
“Often you can fly to your destination and then catch a cheap flight to your destination,” Nastro explains. “We call this the Greek Islands Trick, and it's especially useful when considering expensive flights to Europe.”
Nastro also recommends combining airlines: “Don't focus too much on searching round-trip flights, and search twice one way, using different airlines on the outbound and return flights, to save money.”
Don’t forget airline loyalty programs.
“If you’re saving up points or miles, this is a time worth considering. [using] “When the cash price for a single segment of a flight or even part of an itinerary is prohibitive, you often get the best value by using points or miles,” Nastro says.
A little-known travel tip is to clear your browser cookies when searching for flights. Airlines may track your searches and may increase prices based on your browsing history.
This will be the airline's first direct flight from Logan Airport to Dublin, Ireland.
