Dec 08 2008

When Is The Best Time To Buy Your 2009 Hawaii Summer Vacation?

Published by Jeff at 12:05 am under Travel tips

I had a question from a reader over the weekend that I thought might be of interest:

“Basically, I am trying to plan a honeymoon for June — June 14th-28th.  And, we want to hit the Big Island and Maui.

For just getting to Maui (OGG) and back (SFO), the tickets are $800+ everywhere I look.  About a month ago, they were $500+.  So, I’m not sure what is going on…but when is the optimal time to buy tickets (wait for the recession to kick in more?).”

A.  It’s not too early to be shopping for your Summer 2009 vacation if you meet the following criteria:

  1. Travel between June 12 and August 14.
  2. Don’t have the flexibility for a last minute planned trip.

B.  What you should do right now:

Airlines.  Look for and buy your airline tickets, as the prices will not be going down for that peak period.  There aren’t many bargains out there, so it’s the time to scoop up the best you can find.  For example, while checking fares today, I still found a mid-summer Chicago-Honolulu $612 (all-inclusive) round-trip on American Airlines.  Not bad.

Accommodations.  Make cancellable reservations now so you have something to fall back on.  Then continue to look for other accommodations right up until your vacation.

C.  What to anticipate:

  • Look for airfares in the $450-$1,000 range from most Mainland hub cities.
  • Expect airfares to remain stable or rise slightly for the peak summer period.  Availability, however, isn’t what it used to be and the most desirable dates may soon be gone.
  • Next summer is the first conceivable time that Hawaii tourism might return to anything near normal.  While I don’t have a crystal ball (nor does the travel industry), providers will be loathe to offer any discounts for that time frame until the last possible minute, if ever.

D.  My email response to our reader’s question:

June 14-28 is going to be a really difficult time to find cheap tickets.  It isn’t unusual for fares to be in the $700-1,000+ range at that time of year.  I’m seeing HA at about $650 and if you use an affiliate code (search on our site) you’ll save 5% off that.  That really isn’t too bad. Keep in mind that your dates are precisely at the opening of peak summer season.  Airlines (and hotels) will avoid discounting for that period unless they become extremely desperate.  Even if does happen (and as you may have read, I don’t think it will), those discounts won’t appear until the last minute.

If it were me, I’d be buying sooner than later (especially at $650).  With hotels, you can reserve now and not foreclose the opportunity to keep shopping for something better.

Sorry to not bring you better news, but congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and I hope you find a good travel deal.

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