With many people cutting back on vacation plans this year due to the economy, you should know that there is an almost magical date before which you can save a bundle, and after which you could get soaked on airfares.
Here is part of an advertisement for Alitalia (and hats off to them for being possibly the only airline to advertise complete fares with all taxes and airport fees included). Note the dramatic jump in prices:
Summer rates are nearly $500 higher than spring airfares. What is the magical date when fares turn from rockbottom to ridiculous? The valuable answer is buried in the mouse print:
*MOUSE PRINT:
May 25 this year for some airlines is the last day to fly before higher summer rates begin, particularly for international flights.
On other airlines, for example, fares between NYC and Madrid are nearly $400 more expensive on May 26 than they are on May 25:
Of course, there are dates when the fare comes down again, but generally not to the level they were in the spring.
If you can’t plan your trip to end by May 25, you might be able to still save some money by starting the trip before May 26 and ending it in June. A friend who was flying Continental from New York to Madrid, and then returning from London could have lowered the price of his June trip from $715 to $490 merely by starting it on May 25 — two weeks earlier than planned.
How much could you save by being flexible in your travel dates? Use Kayak.com’s new fare calendar to see at a glance what the lowest airfare is between point A and point B on any day in any month.
Good info this week. I will keep those dates in mind for next year’s vacation.
@ “and hats off to them for being possibly the only airline to advertise complete fares with all taxes and airport fees included”
EU law forces carriers to advertise the complete rate including the full sweet of bogus fees, surcharges, taxes, etc. This goes for all flights in, to and from the EU.
Note to US Congress: Copy – Replace EU with US – Paste please.
Seriously, ctrl-C, ctrl-H, EU US , click yes to all, ctrl-V.
I’ve been pricing fares for a trip planned this fall and it seems more and more airlines are listing the fares with taxes and fees included which is very helpful. However, if you are going to stay in a resort hotel they often don’t show resort fees until you are ready to pay. I found this in Puerto Rico where resort fees attached were incredibly hight. One hotel had rooms offered for 290/night, at checkout they added 75 dollars for resort fee, and 25 more for taxes. I have been told that those resort fees can be negotiated if you are just spending the night and don’t plan to use all the facilities.
This info is right on target. I coincidentally bought tickets from Newark to
Paris departing May 26, which is the last date to get a $411 ticket (without
tax). I also tried for May 27, and found the fare to be $811, and $822 for the
next day.