COLORADO SPRINGS — The staff at the Colorado Springs Airport is preparing for one of the busiest holiday travel seasons we’ve seen in years. Travel agents in the Springs say with just days left in October people need to get serious about nailing down travel plans now if they want to save money and get the departure times they want.
“Just kind of got me into the travel industry to help others save money and spend the right money at the right times and see things they’ve never seen before,” said Sweat.
She says securing your holiday vacation plans before the calendar hits November will be especially important this year.
”Price is up 75%. So there’s a little bit of a sticker shock,” said Sweat. ”Once you hit that 60 days you’re almost out of luck on availability and prices are sky high.”
While many people will work to book trips on their own, Kenley says her business is picking up with many first time clients.
”It’s kind of crazy. Everybody is calling and the thing I hear the most is I didn’t know there were still travel agents and I’m like, you deal with them every day they just don’t have travel agent in their name it’s Expedia or Travelocity,” said Sweat.
Many of them decide to make the call because they’re overwhelmed with travel decisions.
”There’s too much information. How do I narrow it down? How do I know what is best because everyone says they have the best? Sometimes the lowest price is not necessarily the best deal,” said Sweat. “So, using a travel agent and contacting them and giving them enough time to find those deals for you before the holidays is I think crucial at this point.”
But if you are going to book flights on your own, here are some things to keep in mind pointed out by a recent Expedia report.
It says the cheapest day to fly is on Wednesdays. If you’re able to book that midweek flight it saves consumers as much as 15%.
To avoid cancellations, Expedia says try to fly earlier in the day if possible. According to its research flights that leave after 3pm have a 50% better chance of being canceled than flights earlier in the day.
The Expedia report says nailing down those travel plans early makes a difference. Booking 28 to 35 days before your domestic flight saves about 10% on overall price.
Here in Colorado travelers will have to weigh the options of paying for the convenience of a smaller airport like in Colorado Springs or finding cheaper flights and more non-stop options in Denver. But in the last year there have been nearly 62,000 flight delays and more than 7,000 cancellations at DIA. It’s one of the worst airports in the country for those issues.
During the holiday season many airlines will continue to face staffing shortages and with less flights consumers will have to pay more to secure a seat. It has many people preparing to rack up some serious credit card debt in the next few months.
If you have questions Kenley Sweat says she's happy to help...
Contact Information
Kenley Sweat, Independent Agent
Magical Moments Vacations
Phone: 719-661-3836
Email: KSweat@MMVAgent.com
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