Best Fares: Look For
Bargains Before Spring
Break
Tom Parsons, www.bestfares.com
If Costa Rica is No. 50
on your travel list and
you see a round-trip
fare of $149, it should
move up to No. 1
Six months ago, we
thought that travel in
2009 would be only for
the rich, the famous and
the business traveler.
Now, we see that the
leisure traveler will be
able to travel, too.
Every time you go
shopping, save your
change because you'll be
able to fly to some
destinations in 2009 for
what seems like nickels
and dimes. Great deals
will be available. Why?
Fewer people are
traveling.
Airlines cut seat
capacity in 2008 when
oil was $149 a barrel.
They thought that only
corporate and wealthy
travelers would be able
to afford the resulting
higher fares. Their
predictions of continued
oil increases didn't pan
out, but they did
themselves a favor by
reducing seats since
fewer travelers are
flying.
The airlines have cut
service to small
regional airports, and
they may need to adjust
capacity further. The
Delta-Northwest merger
probably will produce a
much smaller combined
airline than planned.
I believe we'll see
bargain fares for at
least the first few
months of the year,
except during spring
break. Don't expect
deals to all
destinations, and
flexible fliers will
save the most. If Costa
Rica is No. 50 on your
travel list and you see
a round-trip fare of
$149, it should move up
to No. 1.
To avoid paying more
than necessary, don't
book too far in advance.
United recently had a
fare from Dallas to Los
Angeles for $258
round-trip for travel
through May 8, the date
that Southwest's
published schedule
ended. The fare rose to
$448 when United wasn't
competing with
Southwest. After
Southwest extended its
schedule, United again
had $258 fares.
For the next few months,
watch fares closely.
Many will come and go
quickly. Watch for
domestic sales from
Frontier, AirTran and
Southwest. If you're
looking for
international fares,
price cuts could come
from any carrier. We
expect to see low fares
through May to Mexico,
the Caribbean, Central
America and Europe. The
airlines will want to
charge a lot for summer
travel, but they may not
get it. Fuel surcharges
for destinations such as
Europe probably will
continue to decline.
It will be interesting
to see what airlines do
about adding fees. Your
ticket price will be for
a seat only, and some
airlines already charge
extra for advance seat
assignments. If you
aren't an elite frequent
flier, you may earn
fewer miles if you fly
on a discount ticket.
With luggage fees in
effect, travelers should
take a carry-on when
possible.
We're starting to see
excellent prices on
air-hotel and air-car
packages, and that trend
should continue. Hotel
prices are down in New
York and Las Vegas.
Four- and five-star
hotels will have to
compete with three-star
hotels for business, and
rates should improve.
Impressive bargains on
cruises are appearing.
We've also seen more
on-board credit offers,
another way for
vacationers to save
money.
Car rental companies can
adjust best to the
economic downturn, so
big discounts are
unlikely. Watch for
promotional rates and
coupons. |
