Here's the current situation as it relates to summer domestic flight deals: The getting is as good as it's ever been, but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to find a stellar deal.
There are several reasons for that, but here's the bottom line for you: After the month of May, there's going to be a ridge of flight pricing as airlines cut routes and, crucially, Southwest introduces its nasty new basic economy fares.
We're already starting to see it as the airlines have started cutting capacity and that's going to increase fares for later this year. But as of now, summer fares are staying cheap, because those changes aren't in effect yet. And Southwest's new fares (the ones without free bags or changes) don't go on sale until the end of May, which makes right now a sweet spot for booking summer domestic flights.
Here's what you need to know if you'r on the hunt for a cheap summer getaway.
Why is This Happening?
Remember last summer? Domestic flight prices bottomed out big time as the airlines struggled to fill seats. The airlines prepared for another record-setting summer after 2022 and 2023 saw huge demand for cooped-up travelers ready to fly anywhere post-pandemic.
Instead, they found travelers were returning to their normal travel patterns (or heading abroad) and it caught them all off guard.
Because the airlines didn't sell enough tickets in advance of summer 2024, they weren't able to charge travelers booking trips at the last minute the much steeper prices they planned to. Instead, they slashed thousands of fares across the country to help scrape a few dollars back and fill those empty seats. We declared it the best summer ever for cheap domestic flights – and it was.
But those good deals for us were bad news for the airlines. And highly paid airline executives who like their jobs typically don't make mistakes like that two years in a row.
To appease frustrated shareholders, executives at American, Delta, JetBlue, United, and Southwest all vowed to cull capacity in 2025 – and they've started acting on those promises.
The number of flights and seats have already decreased significantly this year. Data from Cirium, an airline analytics company, shows big decreases on American, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, and United. On average, there will be a 6.2% decrease in available seat miles (a common airline industry metric that measures passenger capacity) among those five airlines in June, July, and August 2025, compared to the same period last summer. Delta will see the highest decrease at 9%. And those cuts go even deeper after the busy summer travel season comes to a close.
Think about it this way: Last year, the airlines had too much capacity and didn't sell enough tickets early on. Well, they're already working to solve the capacity problem with a 6% decrease.
Thrifty Tip: If your summer travel plans aren't yet solidified, book flexible main cabin tickets! Then, you can cancel for a voucher if your plans change, or you can rebook for the better price if I'm totally wrong about this trend and flight prices go down even further.
Read next: Book Now or Wait if Flight Prices Drop? The Definitive Answer
The New Southwest is Coming
Earlier this year, a seismic shift hit the airline industry: Southwest Airlines threw it all away by bailing on its famous free checked bags policy, turning the airline of “Love” into just another airline. It also promised investors it would add an inflexible, bare-bones basic economy fare, too. It fulfilled that promise shortly thereafter – along with a rebrand of its beloved “Wanna Get Away?” fares. This new fare class is definitely “basic” … so, I guess the shoe fits.
Ugh.
We hated this news, like many other travelers out there. Even if you never fly Southwest, their fares have long had a major impact on the broader market. Not only did they set an industry standard for flexibility – allowing free changes and cancelation for a voucher on all fares – but they also included two free checked bags, making them a darling for traveling families all over the country.
All these changes go into effect on May 28 … right before summer. But as long as you book before May 28, you can still get those old Southwest benefits you know and love.
And even if you don't want to fly Southwest, the other airlines still have to compete with those inclusive Southwest fares for a few more weeks at least.
The clock is ticking on the old Southwest, so you'll want to book soon to take advantage.
Where Should We Go?
I'm so glad you asked.
We first identified this trend of cheap summer airfare while searching for great deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members. We search for fares from more than 200 U.S. airports every day, and found that this trend extends from coast to coast. In the past three weeks, we've sent a dozen or more flight deals with summer 2025 availability in them, most of which were to destinations right here in the U.S.
Let's start with a game. I call it (insert game show announcer voice) “Pick! Your! Portland!”
Visiting the Cascade Mountains near the west coast is a no-brainer, and a trip to Portland, Oregon (PDX) is hard to beat in the summer months.
But the east coast has its own Portland, and an excellent one at that. This flight deal to Portland, Maine (PWM) was one of the most popular deals we sent all month, with thousands of subscribers getting alerted to the low fares to the idyllic Maine coast.
Whether you're heading to Mt. Hood or Bend, Oregon, or up to Acadia or Bar Harbor, Maine, a Portland deal with fares under $249 roundtrip is music to our ears.
While we're feeling outdoorsy, how about exploring the mountains of sunny Southern Colorado?
A walk through Garden of the Gods (pictured) is awe-inspiring enough, but this Colorado classic is a perfect jumping off point to visit the Great Sand Dunes as well as the lesser-tread Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. It beats flying to Denver (DEN), sitting on a shuttle, waiting in line, then driving a rental car hundreds of miles to get to the same place. Land in C-Springs and get to the mountains before lunch!
For the even more adventurous, you have to visit Alaska at least once. Due to its harsh winters (and let's be honest: harsh springs and falls), the peak summer is maybe the only time to reliably visit some of the best destinations in Alaska. But with a cheap flight to Anchorage (ANC), you're off and running!
It's going to be cheaper to get to AK from the west coast, but the fares from Chicago (ORD), Minneapolis (MSP), Miami (MIA), and Orlando (MCO) turned heads on this fare roundup, too!
If Alaska seems too intense for you, maybe sunny California is more your speed. In the last few days, we've found cheap flights to both San Francisco (SFO) and San Diego (SAN).
The San Diego (SAN) fares above and the San Francisco (SFO) fares below are similar lists of departure cities to very different destinations in the same state. It's up to you: The laid back, SoCal vibe of San Diego's beaches or the big hub city of San Francisco and its surrounding mountains and wine country.
You can't go wrong with either option, so long as you book soon.
Southwest Fares are Crazy, Too!
Remember, May 28: That's the day Southwest changes forever. But until then, you'll still get the same Southwest fares you know and love until “Basic” rears its ugly head.
And at the moment, the getting is still really, really good all over the country.
How good?
This good?
All of these fares weren't just one-offs – they were part of much, much bigger flight deal with fares under $200 roundtrip in most cases. These were the lowest, yes, but Phoenix (PHX), Orlando (MCO), Nashville (BNA), and Chicago (MDW) fares are all incredibly easy to find for this summer.
Speaking of Chicago (MDW), you might not need to spend more than $11.20 to get there if you have some Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
There were dozens of U.S. cities on this Rapid Rewards deal to Chicago, and we found an almost identically awesome sale to Las Vegas (LAS), too! Look at these roundtrip fares for just 7,000, 8,000, or 9,000 points in many cases!
(Not to mention the staggering 4,000 points roundtrip from SAN!)
Southwest might be your ticket this summer, as long as you get on it quickly!
Bottom Line
Domestic flight prices for summer are looking really good, but there's reason to believe that they won't stay like this for long.
If you can plan ahead, there are massive savings to be had for summer flights within the United States, because the airlines are making moves to raise prices down the road.
