10 tips for holiday travel

By Ed Hewitt

Features editor

updated 6:15 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2005

With travel volume back up to pre-9/11 levels, constriction in the airline business, and Christmas and New Year's falling on Sunday this year, the 2005-06 holiday travel season could be one of the most challenging to date. Add in the fact that airline ticket prices are up 15 percent from last year and it looks like this holiday season will not only mean stress on your psyche, but on your wallet as well.

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The following tips offer some variations on the usual holiday tip list, with some twists and warnings peculiar to this year's holiday travel stretch.

Know this year's peak travel dates
At Thanksgiving, Wednesday is the critical outbound "avoid" day as a rule. Traveling on Thanksgiving day proper is often a breeze and more affordable; there are often cut-rate airfare deals on Thanksgiving day, like the $1 fares that were popular a few years back.

On the return, Friday morning isn't bad at all, with each successive day getting a little busier, more difficult and more expensive through Sunday evening. The bottom line: If you are looking for a deal, you won't find one on the peak travel days. Travel off-peak whenever possible.

Slide show   2005 Holiday Highlights From Rockefeller Center to Red Square, people all around the world celebrated the 2005 holiday season. more photos

With both Christmas and New Year's falling on Sunday this year, the Friday before and the Monday after each holiday will be truly gnarly travel days, as travel will be concentrated on the bookends of a single long weekend in a way that would not occur when the holidays are mid-week.

Your best bets are to travel as early as possible in the week before the Christmas holiday, particularly from the 19th to the 21st, and as late as possible in the week following the New Year's holiday. In the week between Christmas and New Year's, traveling midweek is your best bet, with Wednesday the 28th shaping up as the best of the lot.

Book early ...
... and beware of changing route maps and flight frequency. One result of the wave of airlines headed for, in, or just out of bankruptcy is the constriction of schedules of most of the major airlines. US Airways cut 16 percent of its flights, Northwest and American have made several reductions, and Delta is planning a reduction on domestic routes by 15-20 percent as part of a significant schedule change that takes effect December 1.

Meanwhile, load factors (the measure of how full a plane is) have been relatively high the past few months. The combination of fewer flights (and so fewer seats) and more travelers will have several effects that will be felt by the average traveler: With demand high and supply decreasing, prices will trend higher for the "best" flights at the most popular times, seats will sell out faster, and the hassles of checking in for and boarding these flights will increase.

As a result, this year it may be critical to book early not only to get the best prices, but also if you require very specific travel dates or times. With the current state of the airline industry, it is never too early to book your holiday travel flights. Those who hold out in hopes of a late-breaking sale are likely to get left out in the cold or pay a very steep price for their procrastination.

On the up side, with fewer planes on the tarmac, it is possible that on-time performance will improve, but don't hold your breath on that one; recent on-time performance data isn't stellar, and it might be a stretch to expect it to improve during the holiday season.

Read more at Five Fall Travel Trends.

Shop around
Whether you're using booking sites, bid or auction sites, or the latest trend, aggregator sites, comparison shopping has never been easier than it is right now. During peak travel season, casting the net as wide as possible will help you understand all of your options.

For many travelers, price isn't the only or even the most important factor, especially during the holidays. Thoughtful, deliberate use of the "search adjacent days or airports" features found on many Web sites may also surrender greatly improved fares and travel times.

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