Are you looking for last-minute cheap flights from Seattle? Although finding last-minute deals is risky unless you know how to do it, it is not impossible to book low-priced tickets a few days before your departure.
Seattle is near Seattle Tacoma International Airport, one of the biggest airports in Washington and in the United States. Sea-Tac Airport or Sea-Tac is the 29th busiest airports in the world so finding last-minute deals can be challenging.
Do you want to learn the tricks? Let’s get started:
- Use Your Rewards And Miles.
If you have accumulated airline miles from your loyalty program, you can use it in booking your flight for free. You already saved money for your flight, the only thing that matters is getting the date and destination at the last minute.
Using your rewards can get you anywhere in the world. The more you use your credit card means more free flights in the future.
- Fly On Unpopular Hours.
If you missed booking flights early and ready to go next week, you can check out “red-eye or crack-of-dawn flights.” These flights are most likely to be filled up and are cheaper than mid-day flights.
Red-eye flights take off at night and arrive the next day early in the morning. Planes typically depart after 9:00 p.m. and arrive at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m.
- Be Alert.
You are not alone who’s looking for last-minute deals. Your only edge to get ahead of the game is to have eyes wide open.
You can do this by signing-up for newsletters where airlines announce their spare seats. You can also sign up for alerts to get you notified each time the ticket price of your desired route goes up or down.
You can also get updates on your favorite airline’s social media accounts. Check their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram where they post their sale seats.
There is also a term called cancellation holidays. Some companies sell their tickets at a big discount when their meetings with their clients get canceled.
- Be Flexible.
Flexibility always provides rewards when it comes to travel. If you are searching for last-minute cheap airline tickets, it is easier for you to find one if you are a little bit flexible in the airport you’re departing from and destination.
If you are flexible and adventurous, this tip is for you. Why not depart from another airport and land to another city? Search for flights in the whole month instead of a specific date.
Tick the “flexible date” key on the search box on the site to see the prices of flying anywhere within the six-day window of your intended flight. For example, a flight through United Airlines departing on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and returning on Sunday has a price of $712. The price drops at $532 when you return on Tuesday the following week.
- Travel On The Holidays.
Instead of booking your ticket before or after the holiday, you can grab good deals if you fly exactly on holiday. It is easier to find cheap airline tickets because more people have already traveled before the holidays.
This time, fewer people are in airports. The influx of people has subsided during the holiday itself.
Is It Really Cheap To Book Last-Minute Flights?
No. That was the trend before. Last-minute flights were so cheap but it is now different.
This time, airlines have changed their algorithms. Instead of selling the last few seats at a sale price, they thought that they can score better if they sell it at a high price since last-minute passengers are willing to pay.
Avoid last-minute flights as much as possible. Book early if possible. If not, compare ticket prices on various sites.
Keep in mind that everyday matters during the last-minute. The closer you are to your departure, the more expensive your ticket gets.
In general, the best deals for international flights can be found 2 to 6 months in advance. For domestic flights, it should be 1 to 3 months.
If you missed booking on these months, you can still find decent ticket prices at least six weeks before your departure. Tickets tend to get pricier at around 2 to 3 weeks before departure.