Hotwire Reveals that 82 Percent of U.S. Adults Have Not Booked Turkey Day Travel

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today revealed that of those U.S. adults planning to travel for Thanksgiving this year, 82 percent have not booked their travel (e.g., airfare, car rental, hotel) yet (as of November 1st), according to a poll conducted online on their behalf by Harris Interactive among over 2,000 adults*. This means that the millions of Americans who haven't booked yet will be facing an increase in airfare starting today. However, Hotwire.com can provide relief with pocketbook-friendly last-minute deals and expert tips for booking air, car and hotel accommodations.

"So far, Thanksgiving prices have been pretty consistent with last year, but we're expecting increases to begin now as the 21-day countdown to Thanksgiving begins," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "This year, airlines are following the advance purchase rule more so than in recent years, which means within the few weeks leading up to the holiday prices should start to increase more and more. However, with the right tips, travelers can still score some great deals on all their travel needs."

Hotwire recommends the following five tips to help last-minute bookers save money this Thanksgiving:  

1.  Book your plane tickets ASAP as airlines are expected to raise fares starting today. Airlines are enforcing the 21-day advance purchase window more this year than they have in the past. So, if you see a good deal, book it now.

2.  Avoid traveling on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after, as these are the most expensive days to travel. For the lowest pricing, try to fly out early on Thanksgiving Day and return the Saturday after the holiday.

3.  Consider flying into an alternate airport that can offer cheaper fares. For example consider Oakland in place of San Francisco, or Ft. Lauderdale in place of Miami. Many low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Southwest call these airports home, and this can translate into hundreds of dollars in savings.

4.  Whether you're driving to your destination or flying and need a rental car, look for cheaper rates from opaque sites like Hotwire, or check out sites like Carrentals.com that offer a wider range of rental company options from smaller providers. These places can net you incredible savings – in many cases you can find car rentals for as low as 13.95 a day.

5.  Book a hotel, and do it last-minute. This may sound counter-intuitive, but the fact is most travelers stay with family over Thanksgiving, so hotels in many popular cities will have plenty of unsold rooms. With an over-supply of open rooms, they use Hotwire to help fill them at incredible discounts. Often the best savings can be found just three days from your arrival date. So, turning this Thanksgiving into a mini-vacation for the family is more affordable than you think.

*Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus product on behalf of Hotwire from October 28th – November 1st, 2011 among 2,429 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Andrew Reynolds at [email protected] or (323) 648-5425.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages.  Launched in 2000, Hotwire negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars.  Hotwire is an award-winning website and operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2053390-50.  NST: 20003-0209.  For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com. Hotwire sites operates in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk.   In addition to Hotwire, The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com, www.travel-ticker.com, www.carrentals.com.  

Hotwire, Hotwire.com and the Hotwire logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2011 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
(323) 648-5425
[email protected]

SOURCE Hotwire.com