Hipmunk Encourages Travelers to Fly in October And Use Vacation Days Before the End Of The Year

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hipmunk, the most comprehensive travel site, reviewed over 1,000,000 domestic and international flights to identify the best travel dates for Americans to use up their remaining vacation days before the end of the year. The analysis identified the cheapest long weekends to travel between now and the end of the year by looking at all flights to and from the 55 busiest airports across the country.

Hipmunk data shows: 

• October is the best month to get away before the end of the year. Across the country, there are more cheap weekends to fly in October than there are in November or December.  
• Columbus Day Weekend, October 5-7^th, on average, is the cheapest weekend to get away. 
• The cheapest city to get away from on Columbus Day Weekend is St. Louis (STL), with the lowest fare at just $59!
• The most expensive place to get away from on Columbus Day Weekend is Fort Lauderdale, (FLL) with the lowest price at $513.  Try flying out of Miami (MIA) instead with the low price at $199!
• If you're looking to leave NYC for Columbus Day Weekend, fly out of LaGuardia (LGA), which is about $50 cheaper than JFK and $130 cheaper than Newark (EWR). However, on average, JFK does have cheaper fares for the rest of the month. 
• If you're going to travel in November, travel well before Thanksgiving. The weekends of 2^nd-4^th and 9^th-11^th are significantly cheaper, on average, than the weekend of the 16^th-18^th.  
• The average minimum price can jump by as much as 700% from the weekend of the 9^th to the weekend of the 16^th of November in some cities, with Chicago O'Hare (ORD) having the highest jump.

According to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker published on September 25^th, this has been a busy working year for Americans, and many still have vacation days left to use.  The study revealed 85% of employees earn paid vacation days, but 17% say some of those days will go unused. Employed Americans currently have an average of eight unused vacation days, and for more than a third (34%), those days will expire come the new year. And while many still plan to take more days off before the deadline, 60% will be staying home.

"All Americans should be able to use their hard-earned vacation days, so we crunched the numbers to give would-be-travelers some insights," said Adam Goldstein, CEO, Hipmunk. "At Hipmunk, we make travel planning as easy as possible. We want everyone to spend less time booking and more time traveling."

Hipmunk provides the tools to help consumers find the best travel options no matter what their plans. Exclusive features include: 

• A unique sorting of flight options by 'Agony,' a combination of airfare, flight duration and number of layovers. Results are presented in a visual timeline so travelers can understand the trade-offs at-a-glance, like in-flight WiFi or a long layover. 
• Hotel options can be sorted by 'Ecstasy,' a combination of hotel rate, amenities and reviews. Results are presented on a map so travelers can see where in a destination a hotel is located.
• Partnerships with Airbnb and HomeAway for those who prefer renting an apartment, cabin, or home rather than staying in a hotel
• Heatmap functionality shows users hotels in areas dense with restaurants, nightlife, and cultural attractions to help them find the best neighborhood for them quickly and easily
• An exclusive Amtrak partnership so consumers can compare train and plane fares where applicable

Beat the rush and book the best holiday travel now by visiting www.hipmunk.com, or download the Hipmunk Flight and Hotel App for free at the App Store and Google Play.

Notes to Editors
The statistics provided in this release demonstrate national trends. If you would like data specific to your market, please contact the press team, and we'd be happy to give you regionalized airfare information.

About Hipmunk
Hipmunk is the most comprehensive travel site offering more travel options, more accommodations and all the available prices. Users can find less agonizing flights with the innovative flight search "Agony" sort, as well as the best hotels and home rentals with the hotel search "Ecstasy" sort.

Hipmunk is one of TIME Magazine's "50 Coolest Websites," TIME Magazine's "50 Best Smartphone Apps," Travel + Leisure's "Best Websites of 2012," Budget Travel's "Top 10 Most Useful Websites," and Inc.'s "Best Booking Website." Co-founders Adam Goldstein and Steve Huffman were named to Bloomberg BusinessWeek's "Top Tech Entrepreneurs," Forbes "30 Under 30" and Inc.'s "30 Under 30" lists. The company launched in 2010, is based in San Francisco, and has funding from IVP, Ignition Partners, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Webb Investment Network, Quest Hospitality Ventures, and several angel investors.

SOURCE Hipmunk