Surprise airport crowds could be common this March (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Frequent travelers don’t like to be taken by surprise. So here’s a warning: If possible, avoid traveling during the last two weeks of March this year.
Why?
Late March is typically the busiest time of year for collegiate Spring break.
Early April, when Easter usually falls, is more popular with families.
But this year is atypical: We have a very early Easter weekend (March 25-28) which means families AND college kids are going to be crowding airports, hotels and the beaches simultaneously.
Due to this concentration, travelers should be on alert for high prices and surprise crowds at airports, especially if you live in or near (or are traveling to or from) a big college town OR if you are headed to a warm weather destination like Florida, Mexico or the Caribbean. This is also the case for airport hubs with connections to warm weather destinations such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles or Phoenix.
Find out when the university nearest you has spring break and stay home that weekend! (Here’s a helpful guide to spring break dates around the country.)
If you must travel in late March, one way to avoid surprise airport crowds is to travel midweek, instead of on weekends when most spring breakers do.
There’s a silver lining to an early Easter, though, which is a much longer “shoulder season” when demand dips along with prices. Shoulder season this year will run almost 10 weeks from early April until mid-June when peak summer pricing and crowds kick in.
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In my home town, there was a Pontiac dealer whose name was Dick Ide. You can probably imagine the time of year he had his biggest sale and the most TV ads… yes, the Ides of March. When Pontiac died, so did his American car dealership: his family now operates Honda, Mazda and VW dealerships.
International fares are low, domestic fares are high…
There was actually a great fare sale on March weekdays to and from the UK (and perhaps Europe too). I am flying SFO-LHR-SFO round trip, paying about 60% of the normal price for Virgin Atlantic’s “premium economy”, which an American airline would call business class. The flights are non-stop on brand new 787-9 aircraft. I earn Delta miles at 100% in typical business class seating (2-3-2 configuration with wider seats… economy is 3-3-3… 38 inch seat pitch, individual video screen and an AC plug) and have access to a snack and drink bar shared with Upper Class (VA’s international first class, which comes with numerous high-end perks like limo rides).
I am traveling on March 15th, which is the day most closely associated with the “Ides of March”. It is a quiet weekday. Whomever came up with the “ides” business doesn’t know his or her Roman calendars.
You are right and we were not all that happy with the title, either, so we changed it 🙂
The prices are crazy this year during march ( More then normal)