This year, travelers from major college towns are overwhelmingly choosing Florida for their mid-term getaway; with Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Fort Myers proving to be the most popular destinations for flights between Feb. 23 and March 30, 2013
NEW YORK – As students across the United States pack their bags for a week away from their books, new research from Fly.com has identified an average airfare savings opportunity of $242 (or 48%) for top spring break destinations.
This year, travelers from major college towns are overwhelmingly choosing Florida for their mid-term getaway; with Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Fort Myers proving to be the most popular destinations for flights between Feb. 23 and March 30, 2013. Las Vegas and two Mexican beach towns, Cabo and Cancun, are also favorite getaway options.
While the cost of airfare to these destinations is up an average of 4.2%, compared with the 2012 spring break travel period, savvy travelers can still save money on each of this year’s most popular flight routes. Data analysis from Fly.com’s Fare Calendars tool reveals that spring breakers can save more than 50% on airfare if they change their travel dates by a day or two. For instance, students from Georgetown University can score a roundtrip flight from Washington, D.C., to Fort Lauderdale on March 2-6 for only $171; a 52% savings compared to March 2-10 itineraries.
“Moving your preferred travel dates by one or two days is key to securing low-cost fares,” said Warren Chang, vice president and general manager, Fly.com. “Airfares can change from one day to the next but we have found that consumers can save hundreds of dollars when they pick the right day to travel. Because Fly.com Fare Calendars identify where and when it is cheapest to fly over a 90-day period, they are a perfect tool for last-minute spring break getaways.”
Other popular spring break destinations revealed through the Fly.com study include Honolulu and San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Francisco and Los Angeles also rank highly with those flying from the East Coast. New Orleans is only a favorite with spring breakers flying from Philadelphia, Detroit and New York.
Fly.com used data collected from more than 2 million user searches and extracted domestic and international flights with travel dates between Feb. 23–March 30, 2013 for major college towns in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. This information was then correlated against Fly.com Fare Calendars pricing on Feb. 26 for the same travel period.
Boston:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Orlando |
$178 |
47% |
|
2. Fort Myers |
$198 |
48% |
|
3. Fort Lauderdale |
$168 |
54% |
|
4. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
$252 |
48% |
|
5. Miami |
$239 |
52% |
|
6. Las Vegas |
$252 |
44% |
|
7. Los Angeles |
$278 |
37% |
|
8. Tampa |
$222 |
41% |
|
9. San Francisco |
$289 |
43% |
|
10. Cancun |
$375 |
31% |
Columbus:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Orlando |
$239 |
49% |
|
2. Las Vegas |
$281 |
45% |
|
3. Fort Lauderdale |
$232 |
55% |
|
4. Miami |
$261 |
56% |
|
5. Fort Myers |
$246 |
54% |
|
6. Tampa |
$238 |
51% |
|
7. New York City |
$234 |
49% |
|
8. Phoenix |
$288 |
46% |
|
9. Los Angeles |
$301 |
40% |
|
10. Cancun |
$352 |
59% |
Detroit:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Denver |
$118 |
72% |
|
2. Fort Lauderdale |
$208 |
61% |
|
3. Orlando |
$278 |
48% |
|
4. Las Vegas |
$268 |
39% |
|
5. Tampa |
$188 |
63% |
|
6. Miami |
$249 |
55% |
|
7. Fort Myers |
$220 |
55% |
|
8. Cancun |
$317 |
55% |
|
9. Phoenix |
$288 |
46% |
|
10. New Orleans |
$227 |
62% |
Los Angeles:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Miami |
$348 |
42% |
|
2. Cabo |
$289 |
53% |
|
3. New York City |
$278 |
43% |
|
4. Honolulu |
$379 |
50% |
|
5. Fort Lauderdale |
$228 |
62% |
|
6. Las Vegas |
$72 |
50% |
|
7. Orlando |
$329 |
36% |
|
8. Chicago |
$238 |
42% |
|
9. San Francisco |
$118 |
54% |
|
10. London |
$892 |
14% |
New York City:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Miami |
$218 |
52% |
|
2. Fort Lauderdale |
$168 |
60% |
|
3. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
$266 |
47% |
|
4. Las Vegas |
$313 |
31% |
|
5. Orlando |
$184 |
56% |
|
6. Honolulu |
$405 |
58% |
|
7. San Francisco |
$330 |
34% |
|
8. Cancun |
$372 |
46% |
|
9. San Jose, Costa Rica |
$405 |
48% |
|
10. New Orleans |
$236 |
65% |
Philadelphia:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Fort Lauderdale |
$217 |
50% |
|
2. Tampa |
$209 |
56% |
|
3. Las Vegas |
$292 |
39% |
|
4. Miami |
$251 |
51% |
|
5. Los Angeles |
$277 |
49% |
|
6. Orlando |
$203 |
54% |
|
7. Fort Myers |
$281 |
38% |
|
8. San Francisco |
$277 |
55% |
|
9. New Orleans |
$245 |
52% |
|
10. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
$301 |
45% |
San Francisco:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. New York City |
$282 |
43% |
|
2. Las Vegas |
$118 |
58% |
|
3. Cabo |
$397 |
39% |
|
4. Honolulu |
$380 |
48% |
|
5. Fort Lauderdale |
$292 |
43% |
|
6. Cancun |
$429 |
37% |
|
7. Chicago |
$238 |
48% |
|
8. Los Angeles |
$118 |
54% |
|
9. Portland, Oregon |
$138 |
47% |
|
10. Seattle |
$178 |
42% |
Washington D.C.:
|
2013 Top 10 Routes |
Lowest Fare |
Savings |
|
1. Orlando |
$140 |
49% |
|
2. Fort Lauderdale |
$94 |
69% |
|
3. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
$227 |
57% |
|
4. Miami |
$202 |
48% |
|
5. Las Vegas |
$304 |
43% |
|
6. San Francisco |
$308 |
39% |
|
7. Los Angeles |
$300 |
32% |
|
8. Tampa |
$150 |
55% |
|
9. Cancun |
$320 |
49% |
|
10. New York City |
$120 |
25% |
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
