Tips For Scoring Last-Minute Thanksgiving Airfare

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) –  One of the busiest travel periods of the entire year is about two weeks away, but if you haven't booked Thanksgiving airfare yet, you're not out of luck.

CBS2's Jessica Schneider has some ways to save some bucks on air travel this late in the season.

According to George Hobica of AirfareWatchdog.com, it's not entirely impossible to find a decent fare, but travelers can't be choosy.

"There are always going to be bargains, but it's going to be in the bargain bin. For example, you're going to have to travel on a 5 a.m. flight instead of maybe a more convenient 9 a.m. flight," Hobica said.

Travel website Kayak crunched the numbers and found the best day for deals.

"If at all possible, we highly suggest traveling on Thanksgiving. It might be a little unconventional, but one option to save big would be to depart and return on Thanksgiving Day," David Solomito, of Kayak, said.

Kayak says another good departure day is the Monday before Thanksgiving, returning on Thanksgiving Day or night.

When looking at connections, Hobica recommends checking a flight's on-time arrival performance with a site like FlightAware.com.

"It's main use for me is it tells you how late a certain flight has been historically, so if you are connecting, you want to make sure that you don't buy it on a flight that's always late," he said.

Especially since rebooking can be tricky during a busy travel period like Thanksgiving.

If flights to visit your family are too costly but you still want to get away for a few days, you may want check fares to places like Las Vegas, Orlando or New Orleans. Popular tourist spots are often less crowded for Thanksgiving and you may find a good deal.

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