Unprecedented deals in the skies: Why this summer is a game-changer for travelers

The saying usually goes “the early bird gets the worm” but this summer, those that have been procrastinating about purchasing plane tickets for a summer vacation are in for a treat. Flights are incredibly cheap this summer compared to last year due to a series of factors, abundance of unsold seats being one of them.

According to the experts, whether you want to travel domestically or internationally, you can still find some great deals, hundreds of dollars cheaper than you normally would this close to the peak summer months. However, don’t expect this “golden summer of cheap flights,” as Going’s travel expert Katy Nastro calls it, to be an unlimited buffet of deals.

Where are the cheapest flights this summer?

Nastro told CNN that normally around this time of year “you’d be hard-pressed to find something over to Europe in the $400s, round-trip, from major cities in the US.” However, “we’re still seeing that, which is really incredible,” she said.

She gave the example of an Aer Lingus $392 round-trip airfare for mid-July from New York to Dublin she spotted a couple of weeks ago. There was also a $579 round-trip fare on French Bee from Los Angeles to Paris in July and August.

The reason for this is an “abundance and availability” of flights to European destinations, but even more so from Europe to the US, which is helping drive down airfares. For the best deals, check out European carriers but you should be able to find some good pickings from US carriers as well.

Mind you though, the deals aren’t limited to Europe. She says that there are travel deals to Canada and Mexico, South America as well as US destinations.

Hayley Berg, lead economist at the travel platform Hopper, told CNN that she has seen airfare to domestic destinations down roughly 3% compared to 2024, with major US city hubs showing the most promising deals.

However, Berg said, if you can, she suggests you be flexible to get the best deals. This means that you will most likely find the cheapest flights by traveling on weekdays and doing some bargain hunting.

If you want to go to Europe, she recommends planning a trip during the last two weeks of August. Not only are flights cheaper than in June and July, but there are typically fewer crowds and accommodation is cheaper.

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