Travelers love taking advantage of long weekends, and if you procrastinated booking a Memorial Day weekend getaway this year, you're in luck!
The airlines have been slashing flight prices for May and are even letting the savings trickle into the first week of June in some cases. That's resulting in unusually affordable Memorial Day weekend flights for many destinations in the U.S. and beyond.
We've seen some of the best fares of the year for Memorial Day weekend pop up over the last few weeks or so, but we know from experience that the lowest of those fares will evaporate over the next two weeks. According to Google Flights data , the best prices on domestic flights are usually found, on average, about 44 days before departure. If you use the Friday of Memorial Day as your benchmark, we're already a few days inside that 44-day number. That means it's time to book…like, now!
Memorial Day Travel Tips
Savvy travelers know that Memorial Day travel offers maximum value for your time off and your money. For the same reason we love Thanksgiving, Memorial Day gives many travelers an extra day off, which will help you maximize your vacation days.
Here's our advice: Use that extra day off, but don't travel on Memorial Day itself . Aim for a Tuesday flight home, instead. Here's why.
This is the Google Flights price calendar for Memorial Day weekend flights to and from Philadelphia (PHL) and Charleston (CHS). As you can see, for a long weekend trip, you'll save more than $100 per ticket by flying home a day later. Wait another day and it's closer to $170 of savings. This is more stark on longer or more expensive routes, too. Flying back one day later could lead to huge savings.
See all our best tips for saving on a weekend trip!
The same goes for your departure date. If you can aim for the Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and avoid traveling on Friday, it'll likely lead to more savings. While there's no best day to book flights , there is a best day to fly. Tuesday and Wednesday, as always, will lead to the best fares.
Best Memorial Day Flight Deals So Far
Affordable Memorial Day weekend flights have been hitting Thrifty Traveler Premium members' email inboxes every day for the last few weeks as U.S. airlines slash prices to fill empty planes flying during shoulder season .
When the airlines see empty planes on the calendar, that's always good news for travelers!
Take Southwest, for example, who recently ran a massive sale on nonstop flights to Chicago that led to these unbelievable $77 roundtrip fares over Memorial Day weekend.
Plus, you could book the same fares for just 3,600 Rapid Rewards points, too!
Read more: Why Southwest Emails are a Must-Subscribe (Even if You Don't Fly Them)
The savings don't stop there, though. If a trip to Kentucky's Bourbon Trail is on your bucket list, snag one of these low fares to Louisville (SDF) over Memorial Day instead.
This nonstop flight from Minneapolis (MSP) down to Kentucky could be snagged for just $139 roundtrip, including a rare cheap flight back on Memorial Day. What a steal!
If a trip further south is more your speed, spend a lovely Memorial Day weekend on the shores of Charleston, South Carolina with a cheap flight to CHS airport.
Many of these fares included Memorial Day dates, but the best is the Philadelphia (PHL) fare we used as an example above.
For the more adventurous, a quick and cheap flight out to the Pacific Northwest might be the perfect way to usher in summer. Luckily, Alaska Airlines has been aggressively cutting fares to its Seattle (SEA) hub lately.
Most of the fares on this list included Memorial Day availability, giving travelers from the Midwest to the West Coast an easy, cheap look at a Washington trip this year.
Finally, there's South Beach. These Miami (MIA) fares also could be your ticket to a Memorial Day getaway to a place where you're almost guaranteed a little sun.
Atlanta (ATL) was the lowest fare on this deal, clocking in just over $100 roundtrip. And that fare works perfectly for Memorial Day weekend, too!
Your best bet for a cheap Memorial Day getaway is to stay in the continental United States, but this flight deal to San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) allows you to escape to the Caribbean while leaving your passport at home!
The lowest fare on this deal was from New York (JFK) and included a few different date options over Memorial Day weekend.
Did you know Tulum, Mexico has a brand new airport , and that almost every major U.S. airline flies there? And did you know that most of those routes are brand new, meaning the airlines are slashing rates to fill those planes?
Now you do.
This Tulum (TQO) deal would be great for any season, but a Memorial Day getaway to the beach paradise sounds just like what the doctor ordered. This nonstop option from Dallas (DFW) down to Tulum stayed cheap around Memorial Day, too!
Bottom Line
Traveling over the long Memorial Day weekend is a great way to save some PTO, and it's not too late to save money on flights, too.
Just because it's a popular time to travel, doesn't mean Memorial Day has to be expensive. In fact, we keep finding cheap Memorial Day flights for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
But time is running out to find the best Memorial Day flight deals, so start booking ASAP!
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