With the holiday season approaching fast, travelers may find airfares becoming more expensive the longer they wait to book their trips.
Because many travelers have already booked their holiday trips, some of the lowest fares have already been snapped up.
While industry experts say fares are up from last year, they say the competitive environment at Denver International Airport means local travelers will likely see better deals than travelers in other parts of the country.
“With Southwest continuing their expansion, with Frontier being there expanding their wings to the international destinations, I think you’re getting a pretty good mix of decent airfares, but still higher than they were last year,” said fare expert Tom Parsons.
Frontier Airlines spokesman Joe Hodas said Frontier’s holiday fares “are pretty much in line with what we’ve seen last year.”
“You’re not going to see any major swing up or down,” Hodas said. But what might influence what consumers see is that, for those who do not book early, “those cheaper seats get snapped up quickly.”
“If you’re considering traveling over the holidays, book your tickets now instead of waiting,” Hodas said.
Travelers going at off-peak times – flying the day of Thanksgiving or the day after Thanksgiving, for example – can typically find better deals.
Even so, some fares are creeping up, and not just during the holidays. New York-based airfare consultant Bob Harrell found that the lowest leisure fares sold earlier this month out of Denver are up an average of 16 percent compared with last year, particularly compared with promotional fares on some popular routes to cities such as Phoenix and Chicago that Southwest Airlines started flying last year.
Last year, for example, the lowest Denver-Phoenix fares were $54 one way. This year, that has risen to $59.
What that shows is “the fare fights that erupted a year ago were maybe a little overdone, and now fares are coming back from introductory levels,” Harrell said.
Nationally, airlines have cut capacity, which has driven up many fares nationally, particularly as demand for travel remains strong. United Airlines, the largest carrier in Denver, is cutting domestic capacity, while smaller carriers like Frontier are expanding.
Another reason fares are up is high oil prices and other cost increases.
But fares in Denver are still likely lower on average than before Southwest entered the market in 2006, Harrell said.
“Denver does happen to be a city that’s got sort of an overflow of low-cost richness, as it were,” with the dogfight between United, Frontier and more recently, Southwest Airlines, Harrell said.
Airlines “still have to be pretty competitive in and out of Denver,” said Parsons, publisher of in Arlington, Texas.
With Denver now in the second year of a three-airline competition, “75 percent of the country out there would probably love to have your airfare problems,” Parsons said.
Kelly Yamanouchi: 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com. Check out The Denver Post travel blog at
Pluck and luck
Tips for finding the best holiday airfares:
Be flexible. If you’re willing to travel when most people are not, you may find better deals. Fly on the day of Thanksgiving, for example, instead of the day before.
Shop around. Check fares on multiple airlines, not just one. Check out Denver International Airport’s website at to find out who flies where.
Prepare yourself. Know that it may simply be more expensive to travel during the holidays than in, say, September. It’s supply and demand, but if you still can’t find any fares you’re willing to pay for…
Keep checking. Airlines may alter their fare structures, depending on demand, so there’s a chance you might get lucky.
Consider other airports. There aren’t a lot of alternatives in the Denver area, but if you’re flying into an area like New York, Chicago, Dallas, northern or Southern California, check on fares to nearby airports.
Next year, start shopping for your holiday flights earlier.
