Summer travel hacks: Last-minute savings still available for flights, vacation plans

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Summer is right around the corner, and if you haven't booked your flights yet, don't panic. You may still be able to avoid sky-high prices.

The ABC7 I-Team has some hacks on how to get last-minute savings.

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Summer travel season is taking off, and there's still time to book a trip and score a deal. But you need to act quickly.

"We are officially heading into the summer travel season... it's likely that we're going to still see some availability for deals if you haven't booked already," said Katy Nastro with Going.com.

Nastro said deals on round-trip flights can be found for as low as $169 from Chicago to Seattle, and international deals like a flight to Dublin, Ireland can be found for under $500.

"Europe is really affordable still... from the Chicago area, you can head to Dublin for $489 throughout dates in August... only about $519 round trip in July," Nastro said.

You can also take advantage of that cheaper Dublin price and then travel through Europe. Nastro also said overall airline prices are cheaper this year.

"Average airfare across domestic is down 8% year over year... but that doesn't necessarily mean that you should be waiting until the last minute," Nastro said.

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She says at this point it's best to schedule flights in late August or early September. That part of the month in September is known as the shoulder season, between peak and off-peak travel times.

"September is a great month to travel... you're still going to get that warm weather... and there's less people traveling," Nastro said.

Already booked? You can still save.

Nastro encourages travelers to set free price alerts on services like Going.com, Google Flights or Kayak, even after you buy a ticket.

"If that price does drop, call the airline and get that difference back in the form of credit," Nastro said.

If you are looking to take advantage of that or if you want the ability to change your flight, avoid booking what's known as "basic economy" which can charge you an extra change fee.

Going.com said flight prices are pretty good now, even comparable to some pandemic-era lows when adjusted for inflation.