Cheaper flights and award pricing: Why summer 2025 could bring air travel bargains

It’s been a rocky year when it comes to headlines around air travel, from a major commercial plane crash to anxiety over the rollout of Real ID and travel woes at one of the busiest East Coast airports.

And yet, here we are: Memorial Day weekend, and the unofficial start of the summer travel rush is upon us.

After three straight years of crowded airports and packed destinations, what should travelers expect at the airport this summer?

Cheaper flights and award pricing, for starters — especially if you’re flying in coach.

We’re seeing more approachable cash fares across the board, and some steep discounts for travelers hoping to redeem points for a summer trip.

More in a moment on how to score the best deals.

As for those crowds? Don’t expect the terminals to be empty, by any stretch. Though airlines have warned for months about softening demand, peak travel days in late May, June and July should still be very busy — perhaps almost as busy as they were a year ago.

But travelers who wait until August to travel could be in store for some serious savings, and skirt the crowds in the process.

Softening demand, but airports are still busy

Between global trade uncertainty and economic concerns, the big question that’s surrounded travel for the last few months has been whether the insatiable demand we’ve seen the last few summers would continue.

Airlines cut flights after bookings dropped off earlier this year, and many warned Wall Street they may not hit their financial targets.

But we’re not talking about a total abandoning of summer trips, either. Not by a long shot:

• In both March and April, the Transportation Security Administration screened almost as many passengers as it did a year prior (granted, that was after big gains in each of the last few years).
• This past Sunday, May 18, barely missed out on being one of the TSA’s 10 busiest days ever at U.S. airports (each of those top 10 days came last year).
• Also in April: Many of the nation’s busiest international hubs saw more passengers arrive on international flights than a year prior, rebounding from a March downtick, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data we reviewed.

Plus, the biggest airlines last month said the clamoring for premium seats and international flights hasn’t let up:

“We’re seeing, really, very good strength in our [London] Heathrow and European operation, strength in the North Pacific, strength in the South Pacific,” American Airlines Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer Steve Johnson told analysts in April.

How expensive is airfare this summer?

What has dropped off are economy bookings, especially on domestic routes.

And that lower demand has opened the door to cheaper prices, whether you’re paying with cash or redeeming points or miles.

Economy prices trending down this summer

TPG recently launched a data collaboration with Points Path, a free web browser extension that shows points and miles award prices in Google Flights along with the cash fares.

After combing through the past few years’ worth of data, Points Path found economy cash prices were down slightly year-over-year for both domestic and international flights this summer.

There were some especially strong price drops versus last year on a handful of popular international routes, too:

Source: Points Path year-over-year pricing comparisons between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

Overall price drops

It’s not just those select routes, either.

Booking app Hopper found fares to Europe, overall, were trending around 8% lower than this time last year, in its recent summer forecast.

Plus, domestic fares hit the lowest summertime levels seen since 2021, Hopper noted.

Travelers hungry for a bargain

That’s welcome news at a time when travelers are eyeing their wallets a little more closely: In a newly released report, consulting firm Deloitte found a higher portion of travelers this summer expect to take shorter, but more frequent trips. And, those consumers planned to spend a little less than they’d anticipated a few months ago.

That’s exactly what Wisconsin-based travel adviser Rose Gray told me she’s seeing with her more price-sensitive clients.

“People are pivoting a little bit,” Gray, of Fox World Travel, told me. “Maybe they were like, ‘You know what, we told the kids we were going to do France this summer, but I think what we’re going to do is probably do some of the national parks [and try again in 2026].'”

How to find cheap summer flights

Here’s how you can score the best deals this summer.

Look toward late summer

If you can wait until August to fly, you should be able to save a good chunk of money.

In recent years, airlines have noted how shifting school calendars have moved the “peak” of summer travel into June and July — and away from August.

Lower demand usually means lower prices, so August travelers should be able to tap into some of the cost savings we used to savor in autumn.

That goes for cash and points bookings.

Look no further than American Airlines, which already released a boatload of discounted September and October Main Cabin AAdvantage award seats starting at 5,000 miles on short-haul routes, and 15,000 miles on flights to Europe.

I ran a few searches while writing this story and found plenty of award space still open at those lower redemption rates.

Cheapest days to fly this summer

While we’ve long reported there’s no such thing as a “cheapest day of the week to book flights,” there absolutely are cheapest days of the week to fly, especially when it comes to domestic bookings.

The cheapest days to fly domestically in the summer of 2025, as ranked by Points Path, are as follows:

1. Wednesday
2. Tuesday
3. Saturday
4. Thursday
5. Friday
6. Monday
7. Sunday

Shift your vacation days

Here’s an example. Let’s say I’m flying from Charlotte to Bangor, Maine.

This July round trip, with a Friday departure and a next-Sunday return, goes for $581.

But I can save 30% by leaving two days earlier, on Wednesday, and returning the following Wednesday.

What to do if your flight is too expensive

Despite an overall cheaper summer to fly, certain routes and weekends (such as Fourth of July, Labor Day, etc.) can still take a bite out of your wallet or stash of points.

If you’re not finding a suitable cash or award price, there are a few tricks I’d recommend:

Set a price drop alert

Start by searching for your ideal itinerary using Google Flights, and click the “Track prices” button.

I recently did that for a Labor Day weekend booking to New England that had seen fares sit, for weeks, in the $600-$700 range.

Then, one day, I got an alert that it had dropped into the low $400s, and I immediately booked it.

Book, and rebook if the price drops again

Keep in mind, with most airlines’ standard main cabin tickets (and above) you can book, and then rebook if the price later drops.

You’d then be able to keep the difference as a flight credit that could be used on a future booking.

Just note, this typically doesn’t apply to basic economy bookings, and proceed with caution before trying this with a budget airline.

Book, and rebook … award-pricing style

Award bookings tend to be even more flexible. Most U.S. airlines’ loyalty programs will allow passengers to cancel tickets before departure, and they’ll redeposit the miles and refund taxes and fees.

This is a way to rebook at a lower rate if the rate drops after you make your reservation.

It’s a similar story, by the way, for the major hotel loyalty programs.

As always, review the cancellation policy for your booking before trying this.

Check partner award space

Don’t forget about airline partnerships!

Sometimes the airline you’re hoping to fly on isn’t the one through which you’ll want to redeem miles.

Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan, for instance, frequently offers phenomenal award deals aboard its Oneworld alliance partner, American.

That recently included seats in American’s brand-new Flagship Suites for 55,000 miles one-way.

You can also use international partner programs, such as Air Canada’s Aeroplan for United Airlines, and Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue for Delta Air Lines.

Related reading:

• When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
• The best airline credit cards
• What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• What are points and miles worth? TPG’s monthly valuations