Are summer deals finally back? We're seeing a lot more cash, points and miles bargains this year

10.06.2024 - 19:55 / thepointsguy.com / Delta I (I)

From "revenge travel" to the "sold-out summer," there's been no shortage of nicknames for the travel craze that has spanned multiple summers.

But could 2024 be the "return of the airfare bargain?"

It's too early to say for sure, but after experiencing sky-high fares during the last two summers, it's looking travelers might have more deals in store for the second half of 2024.

To be clear, the crowds haven't tapered off at all. In fact, airports are already setting records. However, unlike 2022 and 2023, we've noticed something of a pleasant surprise: True flight deals are popping up, and you can snag them by paying in cash or — in some cases — by redeeming your miles.

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TPG recently posted a deal alert about 50,000-mile business-class award flights to Europe via KLM. We reported on Southwest Airlines offering its much-coveted Companion Pass to travelers who booked a flight to Hawaii. Last week, we flagged round-trip fares to Europe for less than $400, as well as late-summer and early-fall bargains to the likes of Belize, Italy and Spain.

Newcomer Breeze Airways recently celebrated its third birthday by cutting fares by 33% for a short time.

"There are definitely more deals this year," said Tim Qin, founder of Roame.travel, which helps users find the best flight mileage redemptions. "Flying Blue, Air France and KLM essentially opened up their entire award calendar a month ago. Delta released some very low 135,000 SkyMiles redemptions for Delta One [Suites] to Seoul just last week; for Delta One, this price is extremely low."

Few travelers are complaining, especially as nagging inflation continues to be a thorn in many budgets.

Still, after two summers in which award space and cheap flights were rather elusive, it's fair to ask: What's behind this more consumer-friendly trend? And, more importantly, will it last?

Airfare discounts are often a sign of unfilled seats. Just as a clothing store will discount shirts that aren't selling, airlines will try to entice passengers to book open seats by dropping prices; burning fuel by flying empty seats is one of the fastest ways for an airline to lose money.

It's why fares were so low at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and why Tuesdays and Wednesdays are often the cheapest days of the week to fly — there's less demand.

But that's what makes these recent airfare deals as surprising as they are refreshing for travelers.

A record-breaking number of flyers passed through TSA checkpoints on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. This past Sunday (June 9) was the second busiest day ever.

In all, seven of the 10 busiest travel days TSA checkpoints have ever seen occurred within the