The Best Time to Book July 4 Airfare
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John Foxx/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — If you’d like to get away for July 4, but haven’t yet booked airfare, it’s time.
According to data compiled by online travel booking site Travelocity, the best time to book to get the cheapest airfare for the holiday is three weeks prior. Which, if you don’t have a calendar handy, is Wednesday, June 13.
Travelocity said the average price of round-trip domestic airfare this Fourth of July is $391, up 6 percent from a year ago. However, based on historical data, a person who books three weeks in advance can expect to pay roughly $342. Waiting until one week before the holiday will increase the average price 20 percent to $412.
“The good news is many of the top U.S. destinations are below the average ticket price,” said Courtney Scott, Travelocity’s senior editor. She suggested booking vacation packages and opaque hotels as ways to offset rising airfare.
Here are the average airfares to the nation’s top 10 destinations for Fourth of July:
— New York City: $337
— Las Vegas: $365
— Orlando: $316
— Los Angeles: $364
— Denver: $314
— South Florida: $322
— Washington, D.C.: $340
— Seattle: $412
— Boston: $343
— San Francisco: $393
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio