What it means if you are buying plane tickets, decide not to travel for the holidays
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — If you are still on the fence about holiday travel for Christmas, the time to make your decision about it is running out. Things are changing fast, in December more airlines will start selling their flights to capacity and COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country. However, there are options if you are thinking about traveling.
There is a case to be made for buying those tickets now and waiting for making your decision.
“This year, unlike most years, airlines are offering a ton of flexibility on all new bookings -- even in basic economy -- you can change the dates of your travel without having to pay any penalty to do so,” Scott Keyes, Scott’s Cheap Flights, founder and cheap flight expert.
The things that will surely not change by the time December comes around are the safety rules travelers must follow at airports and in airplanes.
“You are going to have to wear your mask, not only in the airport but on the airplane itself. Masks are required basically on all airlines for everybody traveling with no medical exceptions,” says Keyes.
People who refuse to wear their masks on planes run the risk of being put on a no-fly list with the airline they were using.
While more airlines are making all the seats available for sale, Scott's Cheap Flights says it stills expects there to be some breathing room on airplanes.
“I think it will probably be a bit busier around Thanksgiving and around Christmas than it will in say early November or early December. I still think it is going to be significantly less crowded in 2020,” says Keyes.
Keep in mind that you cannot control how full a flight will be, and some carriers are cutting down on the number of flights they make a day, so that could end up filling more seats on the limited schedule.
Flight prices have been lower than in years past, but if you are planning to travel for the Christmas or winter holidays, those good prices are available now, and as that window starts to close, you could end up over paying even though we are living through a pandemic.