Holiday Travel Will Cost More

Start planning now for holiday travel. That’s the advice from travel experts, who say it’s going to be one of the most expensive holiday travel seasons ever. Tom Parson at BestFares.com tells “USA Today” that now is the time to be checking prices for fall or holiday getaways.

Parson’s says Southwest Airlines hasn’t done one single sale systemwide since before Memorial Day. He says that’s very unusual for them and tells you, quote, “where the market’ s headed.”

In response to record jet fuel prices, nearly all U.S. airlines are making big cuts in their schedules this fall. A “USA Today” analysis of airlines’ schedule data shows domestic flying will fall about nine-percent in November over last year.

The bad news isn’t just confined to air travel. Parsons says rental car prices are way up, too, and the hotels are going to w ant to make up for the business they’re not going to get this fall.

He says higher prices will be most evident for those heading to popular winter vacation spots such as Florida, Southern California, Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico.