Cost-Saving Tips Wander Worry-Free (June/July 2007) Finding Airfare Bargains Online (February/March 2005) Holiday Flying Tips (AARP.org) Discounts and Special Offers at the AARP Travel Center  More in Travel

It’s never easy to secure airline flights with the perfect price and schedule for the holidays. But because of fare hikes and drops in the number of seats, this year it’s likely to be even harder to find affordable—or even available—flights on peak travel dates, especially if you’re traveling abroad.

This summer, airfares were around 20 percent higher overall than a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with flights to some Latin American capitals significantly more expensive: up 72 percent from Miami to Bogotá, and up 44 percent from Miami to Buenos Aires, says Bob Harrell, principal of Harrell Associates, an airline fare tracking firm in New York.

Do Your Research
Savvy travelers need to research their options, bone up on current regulations, and use a little creativity when booking flights.

Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, explains that travel dates can make a big difference in price. “Last year the cheapest fare from Houston to Caracas on Continental Airlines in December was $720,” he says. This year a similar ticket costs $850 to $950 if flying early in December; $1,170 if flying on Thursday, December 18 ; and $1,290 if flying on Saturday, December 20.

So be flexible with your dates. Peak flying time for Latin American destinations—and many others—starts about two weeks before Christmas and becomes intense the week before Christmas. Christmas and New Year’s eves usually don’t have heavy traffic. The busiest return period starts a week or more after January 6, the celebration of the Epiphany, or El Día de los Reyes Magos.

Cost-Saving Tips 1. Buy tickets early. 2. Compare costs of flights on different days and at different times the same day. 3. Compare cost of flights with and without car and/or hotel included in the package. 4. Ask for a senior fare. 5. Buy tickets from the airline’s website to avoid fees and commissions imposed by online travel agencies. 6. Fly early in the day to minimize the chance of delays that may incur expenses for meals or a hotel. 7. Avoid excess baggage charges by studying the airline’s restrictions and fees. 8. Learn Transportation Security Administration rules so you don’t have items confiscated or encounter other problems. For example, do not wrap gifts ahead of time because TSA agents may open them. 9. Save on in-flight snacks by bringing your own. Buy beverages after you pass security. 10. Leave pets at home. Their travel can easily cost you $100 or more.

You also may need flexibility on your routing, because your favorite routes on specific airlines may be unavailable. Continental Airlines, for example, has cut routes to Cali, Colombia, and Guayaquil, Ecuador. Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade group, says the number of seats expected to be available in December 2008 will decline between 10 and 19 percent compared to 2007 for flights to Mexico City, Santo Domingo, San José (Costa Rica), and Lima.

Anticipated cuts in domestic flights could also trip up some travelers seeking good connections to international flights. The Official Airline Guide (OAG), which compiles industry data, forecasts reductions of 5 percent in December and 3 percent in January compared to 2007 and 2008, respectively. And Delta Airlines spokesman Carlos Santos says southbound travelers will find that “you’re not only competing for a seat with people from the U.S., you’re also competing with people from Europe and Asia who stop in the U.S.” before going on to the Caribbean and Central or South America.

Humberto Rivero, IATA’s regional director of the Americas, suggests traveling to Latin American destinations through a connecting point outside the United States. “If you’re traveling to Costa Rica, the consumer’s natural instinct is to get there nonstop,” he says. But if you can’t get a nonstop, he recommends checking for a connection in Panama City, Panama, with Copa Airlines, or in San Salvador, El Salvador, with TACA.

Rivero says bookings are “quite healthy” for the 2008 holiday season, and warns that international flights to and from key gateways such as Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles will sell out very early. And many airlines may decide to cancel some flights. The good news: once you’ve bought a ticket, if your airline changes the schedule it will still get you to your destination. To get a sense of how full flights are, search online or call the airline directly.

Bags, Boxes and Embargoes
Once you have a ticket, check the airline’s baggage rules. “During the holidays there are certain destinations with bag and box embargoes,” says Martha Pantín, a spokesperson for American Airlines. American has a year-round limit of two pieces of checked luggage and a total ban on checking boxes on all flights to and from the Caribbean and Latin America that go through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and airports in La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She expects limits for holiday flights to other countries to be announced by November. If you arrive at the airport with too many bags or with boxes for one of these flights, you won’t like the options: leave the luggage behind, repack in another suitcase you buy at the airport, or send it as cargo, meaning it will cost more and may arrive at the destination after you do.   

American also charges economy-class passengers within the U.S. or to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag, with one carry-on bag of up to 40 pounds free. There is no charge for checked bags on flights to other destinations in Latin America, but weight restrictions apply.