Off-peak
travel times.
It makes sense that flying would
be cheaper when fewer people are flying and there is an abundance
of empty seats. Off-peak times include flying at night (especially
late at night) and on holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas,
and New Year's. To boost revenue during off-peak seasons, airlines
often offer reduced fares in one or more of their classes (economy,
coach, etc.). They usually carry restrictions (direction of
travel, day of week, minimum and maximum stay, advance purchase,
limited seats, nonrefundable) since they are "special" fares.
Traveling on international
routes can also offer some cost-saving opportunities.
These routes, linking the United States with Asia, Europe,
South America, and the South Pacific, have at least two seasonal
price levels. The price levels are referred to as high (H)
and low (L) and are limited to economy excursion fares. Some
routes have only one high and one low season each year; others
may have several ups and downs. And there are the times in
between the high and low seasons that are called "shoulder"
seasons. There are also separate price levels for these times.
Sundays are
the busiest travel days-avoid traveling on Sunday if your
travel is flexible.
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