by John Rauser - Farecast Fareologist
We’ve been watching Thanksgiving airfares closely for the last two weeks and here’s an update on what we’ve seen so far. The graph below compares Thanksgiving airfares in 2006 vs. 2007 for a diverse set of popular cities.
The faint lines show airfares from 2006, and the darker lines show 2007. The red pair of lines show the average minimum price for Thanksgiving itineraries with a Sunday return, and the green lines are for itineraries that return on any day other than Sunday. As was the case last year, avoiding the Sunday return can save you a lot of money.
Itineraries with a Sunday return have been bit more expensive this year but as of today are in line with where they were a year ago. The price of these highly popular trips has been volatile; the dip we saw two days ago was due in part to large but brief sales for New York to Miami, Tampa and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Boston to Washington D.C. also saw a hefty but short-lived drop.
In contrast, trips that avoid the Sunday return have been relatively stable, and have tracked 2006 prices closely on average. If the airlines follow a playbook similar to the one they used last year, many cities should see price drops for these less popular itineraries over the next two weeks. If you’re waiting to buy your ticket, set up a Farecast Alert by clicking the “Track Fares” button once you’re searched for a flight. Price drops usually don’t last very long, so taking action quickly is key to getting a good deal.
As always, there is variation behind these average fares; some trips have decreased in price since last year while others have increased. One winner, Minneapolis to Denver costs only $259 today, compared to $321 last year. Another is Chicago to Phoenix which can be had for $332 today, but was $415 a year ago. On the other hand, Atlanta to Boston is $414 today, but was just $290 last year.
Do you have questions about airfares, Thanksgiving or otherwise? Send them to fareologist@farecast.live.com, and I’ll do my best to answer them.