Christmas Flight Alert: Reduced Fares on Some Routes

Always on the lookout for value-oriented travel, Senior Editor Patricia Magaña has trekked throughout the States, Latin America, and Europe. Follow her on Instagram @PatiTravels.

Since joining the editorial crew in 2005, Magaña has pounced on incredible deals to Amsterdam, Madrid, and San Pedro Sula—each for less than $300. Her favorite travel experiences involve discovering street art while meandering a city, chatting up locals, and day drinking.

Her stories have appeared on USA Today, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, TripAdvisor, AirfareWatchdog, and other publications.

Email Patricia at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Don’t bah-humbug your way through the holidays because you delayed the booking process. Fares aren’t necessarily cheap, but they’re not exactly astronomical, either. In fact, rates this week are only 4 percent pricier than last week’s fares.

Gimme the Cheap Flights!

The catch is that the cheapest flights this late in the game are generally for travel on the least favorable days: December 24, 25, and 26. Just as I reported last time, specific routes to sunny destinations are looking good, so if you don’t need to play Santa for the little ones, go sip your eggnog beachside.

Some long-haul routes are looking surprisingly affordable for peak travel. Note the following 1,600 mile-plus flights showing dips since last week: Atlanta-Los Angeles (18 percent less), New York City-San Juan (14 percent less), and Los Angeles-New York City (12 percent less). Fares typically spike as we get closer to the holiday season, so these are small miracles.

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