Orange County Register

People trying to score good deals on holiday airfares might get whiplash this year, as fares are bouncing up and down by the minute.

Although airlines have been discounting domestic fares heavily, holiday periods are generally blacked out.

Experts recommend being very persistent–bookmarking and checking three or more times a day on Orbitz or Travelocity or other airfare aggregator, since cheap airfares are appearing occasionally, only to be snatched up by bargain hunters.

George Hobica, creator of airfarewatchdog.com, said he watched one fare to Newark on the same airline start at $600, plummet to $400 and $329, and then bounce back up to $600.

“The airlines parked some of their planes out in the desert, so there are fewer seats out there,” Hobica said. “They cut back capacity, they have fewer seats to sell, so I think they’re waiting for the people who are really desperate to buy them.”

That could change, if those seats remain unsold just before the holidays, he said.

As last year, many people are choosing to drive instead of fly, or just stay home over the holidays this year.

Domestic airlines are offering plenty of cheap deals–but only for periods before and after the main holiday peaks when most people want to fly.  Southwest, United and American airlines just offered $25 fares from Southern California to San Francisco, for example, but Thanksgiving and Christmas periods were blacked out.

Car rentals aren’t cheap this year. Hobica said that car rental companies reduced their inventory when the airlines cut seats. While people can choose to stay home if the airfares are too high, once they’ve reached their destination, they still need a car to rent to get around.

Use a site like www.carrentals.com to compare rental rates online before you reserve. And also keep in mind that you could be entitled to a substantial discount you don’t know about, for example, if you’re a member of Costco, AAA, AARP or American Express Membership Rewards.

Here are some tips:

• Keep checking, don’t give up
• Considering driving instead of flying
• Fly before or after the holidays, when the fares right now have been heavily discounted
• Rental cars are pricey, shop hard for deals or mooch off someone
• Hotel rates are down, stay in a hotel instead of crashing on your brother’s hide-a-bed

And, if you don’t like any of those options, maybe you want to do what a family I know does: Adjust the dates of your holidays!

This family has its “Christmas” several days after Dec. 25, complete with Santa, candy canes, holiday cookies and unwrapping presents.

That saves the stress and the expense of traveling right before Christmas, and also allows the family shoppers to hit the after-Christmas sales and score some big bargains!

Interesting idea, don’t you think?

Also, keep in mind that not only airfares but also resort destination rates tend to plummet the day after New Year’s, so if you can wait until then, you can get some deals. Our beachfront bungalow in Thailand fell to half price the day after New Years, and the crowds vanished too!

Good travel sites to check:

http://www.travelocity.com/

http://www.orbitz.com/

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