Holiday flights are already averaging $100 more this year compared to last year, and experts warn prices could climb even higher in the coming months.
If you're planning to fly this holiday season, there are several ways to save on tickets — from using AI to track price changes to freezing fares before they rise.
Experts say travelers should book flights sooner rather than later. According to data from NerdWallet.com, Thanksgiving travel plans should be finalized by the beginning of October, while Christmas travel should be booked between mid-October and mid-November.
Some travelers are already feeling the pressure.
"With gas prices and the war going on, absolutely. I'm worried it's going to be higher this year," Jenna McDonald said.
Gale Nettles is also planning ahead for the holidays.
"Absolutely too high, but I have to help plan for my daughter to come home in December. We're hoping we can find something at least under $500," Nettles said.
While many travelers rely on internet searches to compare prices across airlines, some experts recommend using AI technology to find better deals — with one key tip: be specific in your prompts.
"The first message you're sending has most of the information that's important to you. For example, I can fly any day between June 2 and June 21. Any day time works for me. I live in San Diego but I'm willing to fly out of LAX or other very close airport that I can drive to," Farhana Nusrat said.
Nusrat is a professor of marketing at the University of San Diego. She suggests signing up for free online flight booking services like Kayak or Skyscanner. Travelers can also sign up for paid subscriptions that track deals and price changes on flights from major airlines to lesser-known carriers. Those services typically cost between 30 and 50 a year.
One benefit of those paid services is the ability to freeze a fare.
"Either they freeze the price for you for a significant amount of days and let you know if that price goes down, you can buy the cheaper price, but if the price goes up from that you will not have to pay the higher price because the price was frozen for you," Nusrat said.
Some services can also catch mistake fares, which can lead to significant savings.
"For example the flight was supposed to be $1,900 but by mistake in a one-hour window on a Monday they listed that as a $900 flight. So they can find it very quickly and lock down before the airline realizes they made a mistake and changed that," Nusrat said.
Experts also recommend staying flexible with travel dates, as flexibility can unlock hidden deals for those with adjustable plans.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
