CHICAGO (WLS) — Millions of Americans are preparing to fly for the holidays.
And the ABC7 Chicago I-Team looked at what travelers can do right now to avoid a nightmare, and still score some last-minute deals.
"There is still time to buy. But we want people to take advantage of the fact that now is the time to buy. We're coming into that sort of last, final blip. Unfortunately, flights don't act like retail does where the bargain bins come out and flight prices magically drop the day or two before you are looking to travel," Going.com travel expert Katy Nastro said.
Nastro says you should buy holiday flights within the 21-day window at the latest, and there's one trick that could save you a significant amount.
"You can save between 15 and 30% by targeting the holiday itself, Christmas Day or New Year's Day, versus a day or two before or after," Nastro said.
But be prepared for delays.
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"A lot of travelers don't realize that we've actually been understaffed in the way of air traffic controllers for the past decade. It's an extremely hard position to fill, and it takes a lot of time to get these controllers up to the levels that they are required to," Nastro said.
And there's the weather. If you're hit with a significant delay and you choose not to get rebooked, you do have the right to a refund on your form of payment or you can get an airline credit.
To prevent a domino of delays and disruptions, you should strategically schedule or rebook existing tickets.
"Try to target early morning flights, 6, 7, 8 a.m., those flights actually have a higher on-time arrival rate versus an afternoon or evening flight when delays can start to pile up," Nastro said.
You'll also want a nonstop flight.
"When you target a nonstop flight, if you get delayed, you just get to your destination a little bit later. When you get delayed with a connecting flight, you run the risk of then not making your connection. It can snowball into a much greater impact on your overall trip," Nastro said.
And don't forget: Your ticket type matters.
"By booking a main economy ticket versus a basic economy ticket, main economy tickets you can make changes or outright cancel your ticket for a credit to use in the future," Nastro said.
And another tip to save if you're still booking, since New Year's Day is on a Thursday, you can also save by extending your travels through the weekend and following week.
You could consider a flight back on Tuesday, Jan. 6 or Wednesday, Jan. 7 to get some good deals.
