As airline tickets remain stubbornly high to kick off 2023, being able to get cheap airfare — or at least score the best deal — can potentially save travelers hundreds of dollars.
Airline expert Joe Brancatelli, Editor and Publisher of joesentme.com, joined Rob Hart on the WBBM Noon Business Hour to outline three tips to help Chicagoans save on airfare in 2023.
Brancatelli’s advice is outlined below.
Your best bet for getting cheap airfare is traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays.
As Brancatelli put it: “We do know when airlines offer the best deals.” Generally speaking, Tuesdays and Wednesdays have the cheapest seats.
“That’s because business travelers travel less on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; they tend to travel Mondays and Fridays,” he said. “Leisure travelers like to travel on the weekends, so they can maximize, maybe, a holiday.”
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Book domestic flights 30 days in advance; international flights 90 days in advance.
Brancatelli does not recommend playing the waiting time when it comes to buying airline tickets. Not only is airline capacity down 10% from 2019, he said, airlines have something called “advance purchase rules,” specifically so they can raise prices as the flight date approaches.
“The thing to keep in mind … is how airlines think about pricing,” he said. “The further out you book … the lower price you’ll get.”
For the best prices on airfare, Brancatelli said it’s ideal to book 30 days in advance of domestic flights and 90 days before international flights.
Competition between Chicago’s three airline hubs helps keep prices down.
Cities with only one airline hub, such as Detroit or Minneapolis, often end up being “prisoners” of that one airline, Brancatelli said. Chicago’s advantage, he added, is the competition local flyers get due to the American and United hubs at O’Hare, as well as the Southwest hub at Midway.
“That really does help keep prices down,” Brancatelli said. “Although I know everybody thinks they’re paying too much.”
Get more travel tips by tuning into the Noon Business Hour every Tuesday, and listen each weekday at noon for all sorts of financial advice.
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