How to Find Cheap Airfare for the 4th of July

Road trips may seem made for summer, and the 4th of July may be the ultimate summer party, but if you’d rather not limit yourself to just the Independence Day celebrations you can get to by driving then you’re going to need to pay attention to a few things when you’re booking your airline ticket. Because although most people still do stay close to home over July 4th, enough people are flying to make it worth the airlines’ while to raise prices on tickets – which means you’ve got to be a savvy traveler to find the deals.

And in this case, being a savvy traveler, you’ve found this article giving you the tips you’ll need to find cheap airfare for 4th of July travel – lucky you!

Most of the tips you’ll find here will be handy whenever you’re looking for airfare deals – but they’re especially key when you’re traveling around any holiday, since fares are more likely to be higher at that point and more people are apt to be flying.

Here, then, is what you need to know to get cheap airfare for Independence Day.

>> July 4th is a Wednesday in 2012. 

Be Flexible

No matter when you’re flying, the best thing you can do for your wallet in the effort to find cheap airfare is to be flexible with your schedule. The more you narrow your search to specific dates or (even worse) specific times on specific dates, the less likely you are to find those seemingly random windows during the day and week when fares are lower.

The easiest way to make sure you’re being as flexible as possible is to use the tool many airfare booking sites have available now – the “my dates are flexible” option. You’ll often find this box to check near where you put in your travel itinerary. Make sure it’s checked, and you’ll be presented with more flight possibilities (usually up to 3 days on either side of your chosen date), many of which may be cheaper than the date and time you had in mind.

Fly on Cheaper Days and at Cheaper Times

What travel insiders will tell you is that despite how random the prices on airline tickets appear when you’re looking at your options, there are actually days of the week and times of the day when fares are reliably lower than at other times and days. Luckily for you, it’s not hard to find out which days and times you should look at first when hunting for low fares.

Start your search for cheap airfare by looking at flights on Wednesdays, followed by Saturdays and Tuesdays – these are usually the cheapest days to fly. This can change if a holiday or event you’re flying to falls just before or after one of those days, in which case the holiday trumps. In terms of what times are cheapest, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the earliest flights of the day tend to cost the least, followed by late-night departures (including red eyes).

Find Alternate Airports

Not every city is fortunate enough to have multiple airports within a reasonable distance of downtown, but many of the bigger cities in the US are – so it’s definitely worth checking when you’re planning your July 4th trip. Flying into an airport that’s not a city’s main airport can sometimes mean saving quite a chunk of change.

A secondary airport may charge lower fees to its airlines, or it may attract budget airlines more than the primary airport – whatever the reason, those smaller airports offer better deals often enough that it’s foolish not to check. Do keep in mind, however, that if that secondary airport is so far away from where you’re going that you’ll pay through the nose for cab fare or other transportation you need to make sure the savings still adds up.

>> Find out about alternate airports for big US hubs

Look at Budget Airlines

We’ve all heard of airlines like American, United, and Delta – but what about Sun Country, or Allegiant Air, or Spirit? There are several budget airlines like these serving cities all over the US, and they’re absolutely worth investigating when you’re hoping to save money on your flight.

Just because an airline name isn’t familiar to you, don’t assume it’s not reputable. Many of these budget carriers are regional, so they may not serve your home airport – but they still offer frequent trips to other cities in the country. Others have a wider reach and more well-known names, but they often don’t provide their fares to major booking sites. So as part of your research you should make sure to check the websites of the various budget airlines as well.

>> Find out about budget airlines in the US

Get Last-Minute Deals Delivered

If you’re the last-minute planning type but you don’t want to miss out on last-minute 4th of July deals, then it’s highly recommended to sign up for email alerts from your airfare booking site of choice. Some let you choose particular routes you want to be notified about, and others will send you regular updates with flight deals from one departure airport. Either way, you’re letting that website do a bit of your work for you, which is always a time-saver.

photo by AlphaTangoBravo/Adam Baker