With domestic fares down 25% since spring, now’s the time to book flights for fall trips, travel app study finds

Would-be travelers looking to fly this fall may want to book their plane trips now, with travel app Hopper reporting that airfares are dropping this month from peak summertime prices. “September and early October will be the cheapest times to travel, while August and early September will be the cheapest times to book travel for those months,” said Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist. The app’s Late Summer (Q3) Travel Index claims that the average domestic airfare could drop as low as $286 roundtrip for bookings made in August. That’s down 25% from May, when average fares topped $400, and is 3% lower than in August of last year. Airfares typically dip 10% to 15% in any given autumn as travel demand slows. “Offering lower airfare in August and September as travelers look to fall season travel is a seasonal occurrence, in line with the airlines’ expectations for pricing throughout the year,” said Berg. But this year’s drop is steeper than normal in the wake of abnormally high spring and summer fares that resulted from factors such as high jet fuel prices and greater-than-usual demand from a pandemic-weary public, she noted. The average airfare for the rest of the year will remain at or below $300 if booked by the end of September before starting to rise again in October and November. “We look at a weighted average price, so departures in the next two to three months will be weighted most heavily, [and] most travelers getting low prices in August will be traveling in September and October,” said Berg, explaining how Hopper determines the best times to buy and fly.<br/>