HOUSTON — Looking for a last-minute getaway? There are still deals to be had but not for long, according to the experts over at Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Just this week, a last-minute flight from Houston to Puerto Rico was going for $164.
“These days, we're seeing a lot more last-minute deals, although they're starting to dissipate a little bit,” Willis Orlando of Scott's Cheap Flights said.
That’s because airlines put large planes back on routes where they anticipated a surge in demand and when they can’t sell all those seats, that’s when you can snag a great deal.
But if you want to travel for Christmas, be prepared to pay.
“If you want to go somewhere warm for the holiday season or fly domestically to see family, you're probably gonna be paying two or three times what you would for a non-Christmas date,” he said.
So what can you do to save?
“Our biggest advice to folks: so if you are flying somewhere very popular, or domestically, try to fly off days. So try to fly before December 20, or after January 3 or 4, the price has dropped tremendously, not only for flights but also for hotels,” he said.
The good news is Willis says there are big advantages to living in Houston.
“The three largest U.S. airlines America, American, Delta and United are competing like mad. They're trying to capture this new demand. And what that means is that folks who live near a major hub airport, like Houston, like Dallas, for American Airlines, you're finding amazing deals on your main airlines competitors all the time,” he said.
Here in Houston, Willis says that means checking Delta and American for deals as they try to undercut the competition.