CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — As we approach Christmas, travelers are making their way to their holiday destinations. Over 115 million people are expected to travel for the year-end holiday season, with a record over 7 million expected to fly.
Prices this year are down compared to last, averaging around $400 for this time of the year. The prices — still higher than pre pandemic levels, but that is not stopping people from traveling this holiday season.
With the pandemic pausing many travel plans over the last few years and for Western New Yorkers — dealing with the blizzard last year — people are more motivated to travel than ever.
According to AAA, the types of trips this year are on a different trend to years prior. More people are booking "once in a lifetime trips" like cruises and international travel. Despite the expected busy travel and higher prices, flying to destinations were the best for some families.
"It was difficult finding the right flight for us because the prices were really, really, ridiculously expensive," Barlue Allen, a traveler heading to Miami with her family said. "It was this or drive and I chose this just cause I didn't want that long drive with my children."
One of the best tips to avoid any price spikes or paying more for your flight is to book far in advance. For Erie, PA resident Mirsada Kremic, she booked her trip to Europe back in July. This will be her first time visiting family in Bosnia since 2019.
"When you book international flights, they're usually at least a grand, but I just kept looking over a couple weeks and the one time we hit the jackpot, we got flights to Bosnia for under $1000," Kremic said. "I did have a limit of how much I paid for a ticket but I really wanted to go see me on grandma and go on my ski trip so I'm very excited."
If you plan on traveling by plane this holiday season, here are the recommendations from AAA and the NFTA to make sure you can travel with less stress.
- Arrive to the airport at least two hours before your departure time
- Keep any gifts you may be taking with you unwrapped to make easier for TSA
- Sign up for text notifications to monitor your flight status
