Despite long-standing myths around being able to find a last-minute flight deal for a faraway getaway the night before the flight, statistics show that in 2023 the most money is actually saved by those who book well in advance.
One report from flight aggregator CheapAir.com found that those who pay for their flight to Asia 10 months before the travel date can save an average of $286 per ticket. Booking 10 months before one's flight from North America to Europe will get you $121 in savings.
Don't Miss: An airline is shuttling passengers to tropical paradise for just $99
While we are still in August, a number of airlines have already launched their Labor Day promotions for those who can commit to traveling during that period or beyond earlier. As first reported by airline website the Points Guy, New York-based JetBlue (JBLU) -) launched its annual fall promotion offering several deals from JFK and other New York-area airports — a flight to Boston Logan International Airport for $44, one to South Carolina's Charleston for $49, one to Albuquerque for $89 and one to Bermuda for $89.
You can score an all-inclusive trip to Cancun for $278 (but you have to act fast)
All flights are one-way and need to be booked by the end of August 10 (midnight today) to score the deal. Travel, meanwhile, needs to be set for a date between September 6 and November 15.
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The promotion also allows one to add a two-night stay to any of the destinations included in the flight deal. Some particularly good deals include a flight and two-night stay in Cancun for $278, in Austin for $259 and in Colombia's Cartagena for $494.
While the promotion is only relevant for those based in NYC (or who can travel there for the flight), the number of both domestic and international destinations offered is large — others include San Diego, San Francisco and Phoenix as well as tropical getaways such as Costa Rica, Barbados, Haiti and Jamaica.
Not in New York? There are still many flight deals to be had
For those outside of New York, Utah-based Breeze Airways (BREZ) -) launched a Labor Day promotion that spans many different states and cities. Some of the best deals include one-way flights between Charleston and New Orleans, Hartford and Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville and New Orleans for $39.
Travel must be booked on flybreeze.com by 11:59 p.m. on August 11 and be scheduled for September 4 and onwards — while one could theoretically book it for a date months from now, there are some blackout periods during popular Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel periods.
If the JetBlue and Breeze promotions appear similar it's because the two airlines were both founded by Brazilian-American CEO David Neeleman. The latter airline was launched in 2021 and serves several airports in smaller East Coast cities on top of regional airports in major hubs.
Sun-filled destinations offered in the Breeze sale include $99 fares to Las Vegas from Florida's Jacksonville, Connecticut's Hartford, and Virginia's Norfolk as well as a $64 flight between Hartford and Vero Beach on Florida's Atlantic Coast.