Plan your trip carefully
It is important to consider the timing of your vacation when looking for affordable airfare. The shoulder season has traditionally been an off peak period with additional savings for travelers. But with off-season offers shrinking, flyers need to be more specific about timing.
Consider repositioning your fall getaway As late as possible on the calendar, just before the start of winter holidays. Expedia’s Fall Travel Outlook Report states that “summer demand has spilled over into the fall.” Expedia’s fall travel outlook report says that pushing trips to the end of October or into the first week in Novembre could result in significant savings.
The week after Thanksgiving has traditionally been a good time for US domestic travelers to book international flights. In 2026, however, this convention is also a little thrown off. According to Going, international flights this Thanksgiving are on average $1,096 roundtrip. The average roundtrip international flight is $1,096 this year, according to Going. If you’re looking for international deals, plan on flying on Thanksgiving itself and save up to 25%. Also book your flights by early October.
Google Flights and other search engines that let you look at a range of dates to find the best price are also useful. Yellin says you may find that shifting your dates a day or two either way can save you money. According to Expedia and Going, the best days to fly are generally Saturdays, Wednesdays and Tuesdays.
You can leverage your points to earn more miles
Spend those hard-earned frequent flyer miles! credit card points To unlock airfares, you can put your credit cards to work. If you use the correct search tool, it’s easy to compare the best deals on airfare across loyalty and credit card programs. Google Flights integrates Points Path to allow travelers to compare prices. Yellin explains that the tool will tell you whether using cash or points offers a better price, without requiring you to search individual airline websites.
When searching for flights, look at airports where you can get the most points and miles. Going says: In the US these include New York JFK, Boston BOS, Los Angeles LAX, Chicago ORD and Dallas-Fort Worth DFW.
Find specific deals during shoulder season
According to Going’s data, a few destinations are more likely to offer flight deals in the fall. For international travel “PortugalAccording to Anna LaBrie’s senior public relations manager, Going, Spain, Italy and Greece are experiencing nice dips in prices during shoulder season. “Japan and Southeast Asia are worth watching too, along with Mexico, outside of Día de Muertos.”
In the United States, “Hawaii”, Florida, Phoenix, and other states are popular. Pacific NorthwestAtlanta, the Carolinas and San Diego have softer prices in this fall,” LaBrie said, adding that travelers should avoid ski resorts like Jackson Hole or Aspen where airfares begin to rise.
Recent fall fare deals from Going include Boston to Madrid for $517 roundtrip—a 49% discount—and Los Angeles to Tokyo for $613 roundtrip, which is 48% cheaper than average. This is encouraging proof that you can find good fall flight deals if only you know how to look for them.
