Buffalo, NY (WBEN) With additional flights out of Buffalo to Las Vegas, experts expect to see airfares to continue their descent from May. They also say there are fewer cancellations than in June that have plagued the airlines.
This week, Frontier added flights from Buffalo to Las Vegas, and Scott Keyes of Scott's Cheap Flights says that will be good news for fliers looking to save money. "When an airline like frontier comes in, especially with their really cheap fares, that force is delta and American, and other full service airlines to drop their fares as well," says Keyes, who says competition is the biggest factor in determining prices. He cites scientists who say when a budget airline like like Frontier enters a new market, the system wide fares tend to drop an average of 20%.
Andrew Heritage of Hopper says the current airfare from Buffalo to Las Vegas round trip is $259. He says Frontier's entry is offering $188 in late August and $177 Labor Day weekend. "We should expect those airfares to decline from what they've been historically on that route," predicts Heritage. In fact, airfares around the country are already on the decline. "Airfare peaked in May, which is actually typically earlier than we see it historically," notes Heritage. He says flights in October and September are 37% from the May peak.
Keyes says flight disruptions are also fewer than earlier this year. "Flight cancellations got quite bad in May and June. They improved significantly in July," says Keyes. He notes last weekend severe weather disrupted flights, but Heritage notes one big issue has been staffing. "One of the things they're doing this fall is cutting their schedules. So not bringing capacity back online as fast as they might like to or that travelers might like to because there's such a significant demand to travel right now," says Heritage. But he says that will keep disruptions from happening.
If you're looking to avoid delays, Keyes suggests going in the morning. "The weather tends to be better in the morning and be the you're not exposed to the domino effect that can happen throughout a day," says Keyes. He notes the plane carrying the first flight of the day usually is at the airport overnight. He also recommends nonstop flights so you can avoid the risk of missing a connecting flight.
