Why Booking a Last-Minute Flight Is So Cheap Right Now

Anyone searching the Web looking for last-minute trips during the pandemic will find themselves pleasantly surprised that the prices for last-minute flights have dropped dramatically.

Before the pandemic, airlines liked to raise the prices for any flights booked within 7-10 days of departure. This model is based on the expectation that the majority of those booking last-minute flights were business travelers - those who didn't put much stock in prices anyway, because their company was paying for their travel.

Now, however, it's leisure travelers who are seeking those last-minute flights. With uncertainty shrouding much of the vacation-planning this year, vacationers want to book flights closer to their vacation time. Luckily, many of the airlines are offering historically low airfares, coupled with no change fees.

Scott's Cheap Flights founder Scott Keyes said such low prices are not very common.

So, how long will it last?

"The current inversion of last-minute airfare pricing is an extremely rare event-something we haven't seen for years," said Keyes. "I wouldn't expect last-minute fares to revert to their normal expensive state until business travel returns in a meaningful way. After all, it was business travel that prompted airlines to begin jacking up last-minute fares decades ago in an attempt to squeeze as much money out of them as possible. But with business travel sidelined, there will likely be tons of cheap last-minute flights available for the foreseeable future."

There are some tips to follow if you're looking to get the cheapest flights, however. The first is to shop around, not just with your airline, but your airport and travel dates. Some smaller regional airports are offering deals that are comparable to bigger airports, but they're located closer to the places you'd like to visit.

Flexibility is key when it comes to travel dates, because, just like before the pandemic, airfares change depending on the day of travel, too. It's cheaper to tailor your trip to the flights you get than to fit your flights to an already determined vacation.

Lastly, airlines have been adding new routes to underserved airports throughout the pandemic. Just last week, United Airlines announced it would be connecting Orange County, California with Honolulu. Southwest will be servicing O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and American Airlines announced service to Tel Aviv, Israel, as well as three other global destinations.

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