Empty seats on fall flights mean lower ticket prices
Fall is a great time to take a vacation now that the airlines have put the world on sale. With the kids back in school, fewer people are able to travel, which means empty seats on flights. Recent round-trip airfares from Dallas for fall travel have included $118 to New York LaGuardia on Continental, $166 to San Francisco on Southwest, $198 to Mexico City on American, $349 to Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador, on multiple carriers and $488 to Copenhagen on Continental. Taxes and fees are not included. Often, the best prices are on short-lived sales, so you need to act fast when you see a bargain.

We are starting to see more destinations for last-minute weekend fares, and this should continue throughout the fall. In the summer, American NetSAAver fares were limited to destinations such as Oklahoma City and Little Rock because they didn't have a lot of extra seats to fill. Destinations will also be limited during the holidays due to high demand for travel.

While we have been seeing sales to Hawaii, the Caribbean and Europe, you may be better off purchasing two separate fares for these markets. If you are heading to the Caribbean, check fares out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

Press-Enterprise (subscription), CA