LITTLE ROCK — If you haven't already made your arrangements for this year's Christmas season travel, you probably already know that finding good deals - or even deals of any kind - will be tough. Every year about this time, Priceline, the big online "opaque" travel site, issues its forecast of the best and worst days to fly, along with a few other suggestions. I'm adding a few as well.
As a major player in selling airline tickets, Priceline has a pretty good handle on what are shaping up as the best and worst days to fly:
LOWEST AIRFARES: Before Dec. 19, or on Dec. 24, 27, 28 and 31.
MEDIUM FARE LEVELS: Dec. 19, 23, 29 and 30, Jan. 1, 2 and 3.
WORST DAYS, WITH HIGHEST FARES: Dec. 20, 21 and 26, Jan. 4, 5 and 6.
Days when you expect the most crowded airports generally correspond with the bestto-worst airfare rankings.
I don't see any big surprises here - the projections are about what your common sense would tell you, but it's nice to have confirmation.
Given that scenario, how can you find the best airfare deals? As usual, flexibility remains the best single strategy. Start on one of the big online sites to compare airfares: Priceline.com operates one, and lots of industry-watchers recommend Kayak.com as their top choice for wide-ranging airfare searches.
Most big sites let you search for flights and fares several days on each side of your preferred dates.
Most of them also allow you to look for deals available to/from alternate airports - at either end or both ends of your trip.
When you have a choice, opt for a nonstop or direct (a stop but no plane change) flight - that minimizes your chances of delays, missed connections or lost baggage.
When you have a choice, fly early in the day - delays tend to pile up as the day progresses.
When you have a choice, avoid connections at such perennially crowded and/or bad weather airports such as Chicago/O'Hare, Minneapolis-St Paul and Detroit.
Priceline doesn't issue a similar report on the hotel scene, but the situation is also about what you might expect:
Hotels and resorts in vacation centers - especially beach or winter sports centers - will be at or near their yearly high occupancies. Some are already pretty well booked solid, and expect to pay top dollar for what few accommodations remain available.
On the other hand, accommodations at off-season destinations may be a bit less expensive.
Also, many up-market hotels in city centers find their usual business clientele dwindles down to nothing over the holidays, so many of them offer some combination of attractive rates and special shopping or theater packages to lure leisure travelers.
Search for hotel deals as you would for airfares.
If you're sure you won't have to cancel, and don't demand a specific hotel, the lowest prices are almost always on Priceline or Hotwire.
Check locations near rather than right in a popular and crowded destination.
Consider a condo rental rather than conventional hotel or resort.
And when you need airfares and hotels, consider buying both as a package.
Check the air/hotel options most big sites list.
For a popular vacation destination, a tour packager may still have attractive air-hotel packages, even when the individual airlines and hotels say they're fully booked. Either check around some of the big online sites, or ask a travel agent what's available.
In sum: Although bookings are already tight, you still stand a chance of getting where you want to go - and finding a place to stay - if you show a bit of ingenuity and flexibility. And those are good rules for vacation planning just about any time.
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Travel, Pages 99 on 10/28/2007