Plan to hop a plane this summer? You’re not alone

If your vacation includes air travel this summer, prepare for crowded planes and airport delays. Finding a super-cheap fare could be tough.

The best advice: Book early and get to the airport early.

“It’s a crazy year,” said Amy Bohutinsky, spokeswoman for Hotwire.com, a discount travel website. “All of a sudden, demand is back. It’s happened ... over the last couple of months.” Searches on the site are up more than a third, and bookings are up by about 10% from last year, she said.

“We’re seeing stronger-than-expected bookings,” with several record-setting days, said Melissa Derry, product manager for Expedia, another travel website. Sales are usually slow before Memorial Day, she added -- but not this year.

The American Automobile Assn. recently forecast that 5.3% more of us would fly on Memorial Day weekend this year than last, and the Travel Industry Assn. of America said it expected a similar increase to carry through the summer.

The main reason for the uptick: Travel overall is up. More of us, industry experts say, seem determined to go on vacation after years of worrying about our finances and air security. As the economy has improved, more of us can afford and want to travel.

With airfares hovering near historic lows and the average U.S. price of gas surging recently to more than $2 a gallon, the math can favor flying too, at least for solo sojourns.

An example: Driving the nearly 800-mile round trip between Los Angeles and Oakland would cost more than $80 if you paid $2.30 per gallon and your car got 20 miles per gallon. You could fly to Oakland for $78 round trip under a fare offered earlier this month by Southwest and JetBlue. (This fare may no longer be available.)

Airports are showing strain from higher traffic. U.S. airlines in April carried nearly 12% more passengers than in April 2003, the Air Transport Assn. said.

More than a fifth of flights ran late in the first quarter this year, the Department of Transportation reported earlier this month. The figure is near some of those logged in 2000, a record year.

To help travelers keep tabs on delays, the Federal Aviation Administration recently began a wireless service that links to daily alerts posted by airports and airlines; go to www.faa.gov/wireless for details.

Security lines have also slowed at many airports, stretching to an hour or more, according to reports from media across the U.S. A worried Transportation Security Administration, whose staff had been cut by Congress, is working to field more screeners.

Summer fares are running about the same or somewhat higher overall than last year, depending on the route -- and whom you talk to; official figures lag by several months. Predicting fares is tricky.

“It’s a market that sits on the razor’s edge all the time,” said Ron Kuhlmann, vice president of Unisys R2A, an airline consulting firm in Oakland. Fares whipsaw in response to world events, competitive pressures and fickle fliers who book at the last minute, throwing off the airlines’ sales projections.

In an encouraging sign, American, Delta, Northwest, US Airways and others launched the summer’s first big round of fare sales earlier this month. Although the booking deadline is past for some of these deals, there may be other sales.

One trouble spot: Major airlines have tried to raise fares or impose surcharges several times this year to cover the soaring cost of jet fuel. Although recent attempts have failed, experts expect some type of fare increase.

“It’s a lot harder to find that elusive good deal,” said Hotwire’s Bohutinsky. Sales can be fleeting. To keep on top of them, log onto sites such as www.smarterliving.com, which posts a useful roundup of travel deals, or subscribe to e-mail alerts from airlines or Internet sellers of travel.

Other ways to save this summer and avoid hassles:

* Book early, especially if you need to fly on particular dates. Fares go up as seats disappear.

* Travel early. You may see better fares if you go before June 15. After that, many schools are out, and families start traveling.

* Allow lots of time at the airport, at least two hours when flying to another U.S. city.

* Look for price wars. In Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., where low-cost carriers recently added service, fares booked on Hotwire slid by 5% to 15% overall, Bohutinsky said. Not all routes to these cities are affected; it depends on how hot the competition is. These are great family destinations, replete with U.S. history. Among airlines that recently announced added service to these cities from Southern California are American and JetBlue, to Boston; Southwest and Frontier, to Philadelphia; Alaska, to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; and America West, to Washington Dulles International Airport. Overall, transcontinental flights between big cities can be cheap because discounters are expanding there too.

* Bid for air fares on websites such as www.priceline.com, or go for discounts on www.hotwire.com, where you usually don’t find out the airline or flight time until you book. You must be flexible, of course, and a bit adventurous. Need to know what you’re flying first? Try travel agents, who can help you book cheap tickets with consolidators.

* Think contrarian. To better your chances for a lower fare, fly the week before or after a major holiday, when traffic usually drops. Or take a quickie trip during a three-day holiday, out early on Saturday and back Sunday.

The best fares are often for Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- again, lower traffic days. By traveling on those days, you can save $35 or more on round trips from LAX to Boston or Philadelphia in August, I found in a recent Internet search.

Try New Orleans or Florida in the summer. Yes, it’s hot, but so are the deals on flights and hotels, at least if you avoid Orlando, with its popular theme parks. Lounge in the hotel lobby during the day or sip mint juleps around the pool; go out at night, when things may be cooler.

And savor your savings.

Jane Engle offers more insights into this Travel Insider topic on audio at www.latimes.com/travel. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.