Last-Minute Flights

What to ask your agent about last-minute

• Search your exact dates rather than a flexible date range — last-minute pricing is date-specific
• Have a backup routing in mind in case your first-choice flight sells out mid-call
• Ask your agent about same-day standby or nearby-date alternatives
• Confirm change and cancellation terms, which are often stricter on last-minute fares

How last-minute pricing actually behaves

Inside roughly a two-week window before departure, pricing stops following the usual "book early, save more" pattern. Airlines are managing unsold inventory, so prices can drop sharply on some routes and spike on others, sometimes within the same day. That volatility is exactly why a live search matters more here than for a trip booked months out.

What to have ready when you call

Have your exact dates (not a flexible range), and a backup routing or nearby date in mind in case your first choice sells out mid-call. Standby options and same-day alternates are also worth asking your agent about directly, since they don't always show up in a standard search.