If you’re shopping for a flight around Black Friday, waiting for Travel Tuesday isn’t necessarily the best move.
Travel Tuesday is a post-Thanksgiving sales event when airlines, hotels and other travel companies promote deals for future trips.
According to a recent analysis from flight-search platform Skyscanner, Cyber Monday had the lowest average price per seat during last year’s five-day Black Friday-to-Travel Tuesday sales stretch. But some destinations posted large price declines on Travel Tuesday alone, showing that the overall average didn’t tell the whole story.
The company based its findings on searches and flight redirects from the sales period, using the last 12 months as its benchmark.
Where Flight Prices Fell the Most
Last year, some of the biggest savings depended on the destination. During the full Black Friday-to-Travel Tuesday sales period, average fares to Casablanca were 30% lower than the previous 12-month average, the largest drop in Skyscanner’s analysis. Lisbon followed at 28%, with Sydney down 21%, Seoul 17% and Honolulu 16%.
But Travel Tuesday had its own standouts. Average fares to Fort Lauderdale were 28% lower than the previous 12-month average, while Seoul fares were down 24%. Bangkok, Honolulu, Madrid and San Juan each saw a 15% drop.
Cabo San Lucas Drew a Rush of Searches
Travelers also showed a sharp increase in searches for several destinations.
Interest in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, jumped sharply. Its average daily search volume during the five-day sales window was 444% higher than the prior 12-month benchmark. For Travel Tuesday specifically, it was 730% higher.
Florence, Italy, searches were up 163% on Travel Tuesday, while Edinburgh, Scotland, rose 162%, Liberia, West Africa, 158%, Hanoi, Vietnam, 147% and Tokyo, Japan, 132%.
How to Shop for Holiday Flight Deals
Travelers with flexible plans have several ways to scout discounts.
Skyscanner recommends comparing travel dates with its Whole Month feature, monitoring fares with Price Alerts and considering different destinations through Explore Everywhere. Its Drops feature identifies selected fare reductions.
Travelers can also compare nearby airports, but a lower fare may not save money once transportation costs and travel time are factored in.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information-gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
Reporting by Staff reports, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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