Figuring out the best times to travel in November and December for price-conscious fliers is complicated by the big holidays.
Because Thanksgiving and Christmas are toward the end of the months, fares are higher. However, flights in the early parts of either month often sell for way less from Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
Using Google Flights to do the checking today, FareFlightNWA found one weekend in November and another in December that offer some of the lowest fares. If money is an object (it should be), we’d recommend focusing on trips between Nov. 4-8 and Dec. 2-6 to these destination.
Here are our weekend getaway recommendations for XNA departures and all of them go for less than $150 if purchased today. All fares shown are for nonstop roundtrip flights, and they could be higher or lower when you do your own checking. Try:
- Denver on Frontier. It’s the only cold weather destination that makes our list so look no further if cooler weather is your cup of tea. Try Dec. 2-5 for $108.
- Tampa on Breeze. Breeze Airways is offering Dec. 2-5 for $78. You’ll find great fares on Breeze on most days in early November and early December, but it does get more expensive near holidays. At $20 per checked or carry-on bag each way, no low-cost carrier beats the Breeze bag fees.
- Orlando on Frontier. The airline started service to Orlando International earlier this year, and it’s $78 for those leaving Dec. 3, returning Dec. 6.
- St. Pete/Clearwater on Allegiant. The airline established the route soon after Breeze started flying to nearby Tampa. Fly Nov. 5-8 and it’ll set you back just $76. A checked bag adds to the price depending on whether you pay for the bag online ($30 each way) or when you arrive at the airport ($50 each way).
- New Orleans on Breeze. It’s just $78 if you fly Nov. 4-7. It’s $93 on Dec. 2-5.
- Las Vegas on Frontier. Frontier is working to keep fares lower than its competitor Allegiant Air, which has served Las Vegas from XNA for more than a decade. Frontier’s trip on Nov. 5-8 is the best you’ll get if purchased today at $124, but don’t be shy about waiting and checking back often as fares in a competitive market such as Las Vegas could change by the time you finish reading this sentence. If it gets to $110 or less, probably time to grab it.
- Fort Lauderdale on Allegiant. Another new route, and it’s $75 on Nov. 5-8.
- Texas Two-Flight. San Antonio? the Breeze trip on Nov. 4-7 sells for $78. Austin? Nov. 5-8 on Allegiant costs $82. Both great deals, but Breeze wins the battle of the bag prices.
- Phoenix on Allegiant. XNA has seasonal service to Phoenix/Mesa, and a Dec. 2-5 trip is $98.
- Houston on Allegiant. The least expensive trip among all of these is Allegiant’s new route to Houston. The service starts Nov. 19 and it’s just $66 on Dec. 3-6.
