Holiday air fares could rise as fuel prices climb across the Tampa Bay area, prompting AAA to urge travellers in Florida to begin comparing flights and hotels for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year now. ([fox13news.com](https://www.fox13news.com/news/thinking-waiting-holiday-flight-deals-aaa-says-think-twice))
The average price of regular unleaded in the Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater area reached $4.3157 a gallon on 17 September, according to AAA, while diesel stood at $6.3635. Regular petrol was about 9 cents more expensive than the previous day and nearly 47 cents higher than a month earlier. ([gasprices.aaa.com](https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=FL&utm_source=openai))
AAA said rising oil prices increase the cost of producing jet fuel as well as petrol and diesel. Those higher costs can eventually feed through into air fares, particularly as demand increases during the year-end holiday season.
AAA warns against waiting for holiday flight deals
A survey of 400 Florida adults found that 49% of those who had delayed booking a trip later paid more than they would have done if they had booked earlier. Fifteen per cent said they paid significantly more, while 34% paid somewhat more. ([newsroom.acg.aaa.com](https://newsroom.acg.aaa.com/floridians-begin-making-holiday-travel-plans/?utm_source=openai))
Budget concerns were the most common reason for delaying a booking, cited by 41% of respondents, followed by hopes of finding lower prices, cited by 36%. AAA said waiting could also leave travellers with fewer flight and hotel choices.
“Many travellers hope to find a better deal by waiting, but that strategy doesn’t always pay off,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group.
“You don’t need to book the first itinerary you find, but now is a good time to research your options, compare prices, and make decisions before availability becomes more limited,” he said.
The AAA survey found that 26% of Floridians usually begin planning holiday trips in September or October, while only 10% wait until November or December. ([newsroom.acg.aaa.com](https://newsroom.acg.aaa.com/floridians-begin-making-holiday-travel-plans/?utm_source=openai))
AAA recommends setting a budget, checking several travel dates and using fare alerts to monitor changes. Travelling before or after the busiest holiday weeks may also reduce costs and avoid the largest crowds.
Travellers arranging complicated international journeys, cruises or multi-country itineraries may also benefit from speaking to a travel adviser, the organisation said.
The survey was conducted online between 5 and 13 August among Florida residents and has a maximum margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. ([newsroom.acg.aaa.com](https://newsroom.acg.aaa.com/floridians-begin-making-holiday-travel-plans/?utm_source=openai))
