How to Save on Thanksgiving Airfare

Oct. 27, 2010 — -- My editor swears this is a near-exact transcript of a recent text chat between an exasperated mother and a procrastinating progeny. The subject: buying airline tickets to get the college kid home for Thanksgiving.

Mother: "Need 2 buy ur plane tix turkey day, when u free 2 fly?"

College Kid: "Dunno"

Mother: "Need this info!"

College Kid: "Let u know"

Mother: "When?"

College Kid: "Dunno"

Mother: "ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"

Don't make Mom any crazier. If you don't have your airline tickets for Thanksgiving travel, get going -- and my website has a Thanksgiving Flight Finder for the cheapest roundtrip tickets between the top 50 U.S. cities, that saves you hours of hunting on multiple sites.

Why the rush? The price of Turkey Day flights will rise about $5 a day for every day you delay. But whether you already have your airfare or you're still procrastinating, I've got ways to help you save.

For more air travel news and insights visit Rick's blog at: http://farecompare.com

Don't look for last minute discounts this year. Too many of us stayed home last Thanksgiving, and there seems to be a universal decision on the public's part that we will all head for the airport this year, which means ticket prices will be higher -- as much as 17 percent above last year's airfares.

So if you haven't bought tickets yet, here are some tips for you, followed by tips on how to save even if you already made your purchase. Let's get to it.

Need I say, the time to buy is now? But first, read this:

Fly When Everyone Else Isn't Flying

Everyone likes to take off for their Thanksgiving travel on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and guess when all those folks want to return? Yes, Sunday and Monday. So stay away from those days if at all possible, and book your return flights for Friday or Saturday and save both money and hassles at the airport.