Rick Seaney – USA Today Airfare Expert

Hey, everyone – I wanted to alert you to my new gig as “Airfare Expert” for USA Today. My very first column is about finding cheap flights to Cancun and I hope you enjoy it – and score some deals.

Here’s an abbreviated version of the column:

Should I buy my tickets for Cancun now? 

This is a good time to get your tickets: Airfare to Cancun averages about $100 less than the two next most popular Mexican beach resorts, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

Best day to travel to Cancun?

This is a little different from my usual domestic travel advice which is to fly midweek; when it comes to Cancun, the best time to travel is usually Saturday because that’s when the most seats are available.

How good are Cancun deals? 

While most airfare prices are up (and sometimes way up), the cheapest roundtrip airfares to Cancun on flights from top cities in the U.S. in May average $473, and that compares favorably to last year’s prices..

When should I start to shop for Cancun? 

You can begin shopping for your Mexican beach flight about four months before departure.

When should I buy my plane tickets? 

My advice is to buy between four months and one month before departure. The airlines don’t usually get serious about releasing cheaper seats on these routes until that four-month mark. By the way, if you’re thinking of waiting until the last minute to buy, don’t – not this year.

Anything else? 

We are lucky that there are plenty of low cost airlines flying to Cancun, including AirTran, JetBlue, Spirit, Sun Country and Virgin America. It helps lower prices.

Learn more about FareCompare and the cheapest days to fly and best times to buy airline tickets - and learn how to save big.