Flights and hotel rates for Memorial Day weekend hotspots are dropping

Temperatures are heating up in much of the U.S. this week but prices on airfare and hotels going into the long holiday weekend (and unofficial kickoff to summer 2016) have all dropped significantly over this time last year.

According to the Orbitz® Insider Index, airfare prices over Memorial Day weekend are down nearly ten percent and hotel rates dropped more than five percent compared to 2015. Las Vegas, Orlando and Miami top this year’s list of trending destinations and while flights to Sin City have ticked up 3% over last year, flights to Orlando and Miami have decreased by 3% and 9% respectively.

Southern California’s trifecta of tourism hubs—Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County—all made it into the top ten this year as did San Francisco. Airfare prices to all four Golden State destinations dropped this year including a whopping 12% decrease for San Francisco over 2015. Rounding out the top ten most popular destinations are New York, Chicago and Washington D.C.

If you do decide to take advantage of these enormous savings, do yourself a favor and allow for extra travel time. Wait times at baggage check in and security checkpoints are expected to be long. According to the Index, Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare and JFK in New York will see the most passengers over the long holiday weekend, but San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, Las Vegas, Boston, Atlanta and Seattle will also be busy.

“Memorial Day is the kick-off to the summer travel season, so those travelers heading to airports should adjust arrival times to prepare for longer security lines and busy terminals,” said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com. “With hotel rates and airfares down this year, the time is better than ever to book that last-minute trip and start the summer on the right foot.”

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Tagged: California, Florida, Hotels, Las Vegas, Midwest, New York, Uncategorized