What to know about 2020 holiday air travel

ATLANTA - Making holiday travel planning is always tricky and stressful. Usually late September and October is the time to buy tickets. 

Part of what makes it so tricky is wondering when the ticket is going to be at its lowest price. Do I buy now or wait a week or two? We’ve all had this internal conversation. It’s not just a 2020 thing. 

But, some things are different this year. At least three major airlines - United, American and Delta - have eliminated the change fee. Southwest still doesn’t charge for this. If you’ve ever done that, you know it’s costly. About $200 per ticket to change the flight date or even destination. That fee is gone. You aren’t getting a refund, but you can change the itinerary. 

What you need to know about holiday travel in 2020.

If you’ve been unsure about making airline plans for Thanksgiving or Christmas, not knowing if perhaps you or your the folks at your destination may need to quarantine, you can feel better about buying tickets and changing your plans. So, buying a good priced ticket now is OK. 

Here are three things to know when booking airfare this year. Ticket prices are lower than they were a year ago. If airplane capacity matters to you, make sure you check to see if seats will continue to be blocked. Many are doing away with this. Delta though is not. And lastly, note your destination’s quarantine policies. Some places will require it. 

Research as always, but remember 2020 is like no other year.