How to Find Affordable Spirit Flights During the Christmas Holidays
During the festive season of Christmas, travelers often face the challenge of finding affordable flights, especially across the several nations with significant Christian populations. Despite the high demand, there are strategies and timing tactics you can use to secure a decent price on your Spirit flights. Let's explore the best practices to find the most affordable options for your holiday travel.
Understanding the Price Dynamics
It’s important to acknowledge that the holiday season is typically a time when airfare prices tend to increase significantly. The peak travel period, which includes Christmas, is one of the most popular times to travel. Airlines ramp up their pricing in preparation for the influx of travelers, making it more challenging to find cheap flights. However, with the right approach and planning, you can still find affordable Spirit flights during this peak time.
Planning Ahead
Start Early: One of the best ways to find cheaper flights is to plan and book early. Spirit Airlines usually releases their booking calendar a few weeks in advance, and early bookings often lead to better rates. Additionally, keep an eye on their holiday schedules, as they tend to vary and sometimes offer different discount periods in the lead-up to Christmas.
Be Flexible with Dates: The closer you get to the holiday period, the less flexibility you have regarding dates. However, if you can be flexible, even just a few days can make a significant difference in finding more affordable Spirit flights. Try to check flights a week before and after the holiday to find the best deals.
Utilizing Flight Comparison Tools
Sign Up for Flight Comparison Services: Tools like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak, and Momondo can be your best friends during this time. These platforms allow you to compare prices from multiple airlines, including Spirit, and offer alerts when prices drop. Make sure to sign up and set up alerts for Spirit flights specifically.
Pricing Alerts: Most of these tools offer pricing alerts, which notify you via email or SMS when the price drops for a particular flight. This can be incredibly useful, as rates can fluctuate even on a daily basis.
Exploiting Off-Peak Hours and Days
Taking Advantage of Later Flights: Try to schedule your flights for later in the day. Delta and JetBlue, for example, often have more affordable flight options during off-peak times. Spirit is no different, and late flights can be much cheaper. Plus, there’s less likely to be much rush to catch your plane, making the airport experience a bit more relaxed.
Weekday Travel: Weekend travel tends to be pricier, particularly around major holidays. Consider traveling on weekdays instead, as airlines typically offer lower fares. Additionally, it could lead to reduced airport crowds, making the travel experience more pleasant.
Taking Advantage of Spirit's Flexibility
Consider Flex Dates: Spirit offers Flex Dates, which allow you to fly within a 30-day window instead of a specific day. This is particularly useful during the holiday season as you might be able to find more affordable flights by changing your travel dates a little bit.
Be Open to Other Destinations: If your top destination is completely sold out or too expensive, consider alternative options. Spirit often operates on secondary airports, which might offer better prices and fewer passengers.
Final Tips and Tricks
Rewards Programs: Sign up for Spirit’s Airpoints Rewards program, which can earn you points that can be redeemed on future flights. Even if you don’t fly very often, collecting points during this time can provide you with a bit of a cushion in case your plans change.
Combining Strategies: Generally, a combination of strategies yields the best results. Use flight comparison tools, be flexible with dates and travel times, and leverage Spirit's Flex Dates option to maximize your chances of finding affordable flights.
Social Media and Forums: Follow Spirit’s social media accounts and check online forums for deals and tips. Sometimes, restrictions or last-minute sales can be discovered this way.
By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your chances of securing affordable Spirit flights during the holiday period. Happy travels, and may your holiday season be filled with joy and savings!