High prices keeping you home? You can still get a deal on flights to these warm places.
The holidays typically mean long lines at the airport and crowded highways. However, a new report found that consumers with budgetary concerns may be staying home.
J.D. Power’s Banking and Payments Intelligence Report, released Monday, found that 46% of people surveyed in October did not plan to do any travel over the holiday season, up from 39% in November 2023. Those responses – from 4,000 retail bank customers in the U.S. – were highest among those classified as financially “Vulnerable” and “Stressed,” as well as those 40 and older.
“That development may come as a surprise to some, with customers presumably having gained some financial breathing room during the past few months,” the report said. “And for those who will travel, 70% will travel by air and/or stay overnight. But with customers suffering from the fatigue of persistently high consumer prices, some are just content to forego traveling altogether.”
The report also noted, however, that 33% of customers were financially “Healthy,” as compared with 28% in November 2023.
But while airfares are higher around the holidays, travelers looking for last-minute deals aren’t entirely out of luck.
Where can I find cheap flights this holiday season?
Travelers can still book relatively affordable – largely warm-weather – getaways on various dates between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 from several U.S. cities, according to Hopper:
- From Boston, flyers can find round-trip fares to Nassau in the Bahamas for as low as $377; to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands for the same price; and to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for as low as $348.
- There are round-trip flights from Chicago to San Juan for as low as $320 and to Fort Lauderdale for as low as $140.
- Travelers can fly round-trip from Dallas to San Juan for as low as $287.
- From New York, flyers can travel round-trip to San Juan for as low as $382.
- Travelers can fly round-trip from Newark to Grand Cayman for as low as $503, and to Nashville for as low as $131.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.