Falling on Sep. 2, Labor Day is coming a little bit earlier this year and that means Labor Day weekend trips are right around the corner. But if you haven't booked an end-of-summer getaway yet, your procrastination might pay off.
Domestic flight prices have been heating up lately and that trend is holding strong into August and early fall, too. That means even though Labor Day is just a few short weeks away, there are ample opportunities for travelers to still book low fares to some of the best destinations in North America -for less than $250 roundtrip in many cases!
Even just four weeks out, we're still finding cheap flights for Labor Day weekend trips and sending them to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members. And there are some other great tools you can use to find a bargain getaway for the holiday, too.
So what should you do if you're looking for a last-minute Labor Day getaway? We've got a few ideas…
Use Google Flights Explore to Find a Cheap Flight
Let us introduce you to one of our favorite tools: Google Flights Explore.
Google Flights is the best airfare search engine out there, and the Explore feature can help you find a flight to the cheapest destinations possible from your home airport, whether your dates are flexible or you're looking specifically for Labor Day weekend.
If you're searching for a Labor Day weekend getaway, just enter the dates you'd like to travel. Labor Day weekend is Aug. 30 through Sept. 2, 2023. Although flying on Labor Day itself is typically a recipe for high prices. More on that later.
You can similarly tailor your destination. It can be as broad as “United States” or as specific as a given state or city … or, just leave it blank! Move the map and zoom in to see what flight prices pop up.
Once you’ve zeroed in on a destination, click on the result. You can find the specific flights and even play around with the schedule to see if there are better dates at the same or similar prices.
With a last-minute trip (anything less than 30-45 days away), having a little flexibility is going to give you more options for finding cheap flights. Still, you can set some preferences: Filter for a maximum number of stops, maximum price, departure and arrival times, airlines, and flight duration.
Flexible Dates are Your Friend – Avoid Labor Day Itself
An important rule of thumb when booking flights is to avoid flying on the busiest days. Typically, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are the cheapest days to fly and where you're most likely to score a great deal.
So, when it comes to snagging a good deal for Labor Day weekend, looking at Friday to Monday flights is probably not going to yield you the best fares.
Let's say you want to visit the Rockies over Labor Day weekend with a quick trip to Denver (DEN) from your home in Minneapolis (MSP). First, put your search into Google Flights like you normally would, and then click on the dates of travel in the top right of your screen. You see a calendar with a month's worth of fares.
From there, you can tinker with your dates of travel, the length of your trip, and more.
When you click on “Aug. 30” as your day of departure, the calendar view will automatically populate the cheapest roundtrip fares for all the other dates on the calendar. As you can see, flying out on Aug. 30 and flying back on Labor Day, Sept. 2, is your most expensive option. You can save by coming back on Sunday or Tuesday, instead.
In almost every case, flying home on Labor Day itself is going to be the most expensive option, and not always by just a few dollars like this example. It could cost you hundreds more to fly out on that busiest travel day of the weekend.
You can also find really great availability if you fly from Wednesday to Tuesday, Wednesday to Wednesday, or take a long weekend Saturday to Wednesday trip, too.
No matter what, you'll want to tinker with the calendar a little bit to find the best dates. Too many travelers punch in the dates they think they want and try to make it work. Using the calendar will save you hundreds per ticket and keep you from having to travel on the busiest days of the week.
Cheap Flights for Labor Day Weekend
Many of the domestic flight deals we've found and sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members in the past month have had Labor Day weekend availability. And a domestic trip is the perfect long weekend getaway: No major time changes, no long flights or layovers.
Plus, we're seeing low fares to some excellent places to be over the Labor Day holiday, including near some of the country's finest national parks.
Yellowstone National Park is busiest in July and August, but crowds start to dwindle toward the end of summer and into Labor Day weekend as families head back to school. That makes it a perfect time to visit – both to snag cheap fares and to avoid crowds. This latest deal was no different.
Want to escape the August heat in the desert and visit one of the prettiest parks on the planet? Here's your ride courtesy of Delta.
In Seattle (SEA), there are three national parks within a short drive of the city and Sea-Tac Airport, making it one of the most accessible national parks destinations in the country. And flights to Seattle got cheap just in time.
While Labor Day fares aren't as cheap as the lowest ones on this deal (which bottomed out at a stunning $96 roundtrip!), they are still extremely cheap. Check out this quick trip up from San Diego (SAN) for just $135 roundtrip over Labor Day weekend.
Head east across Washington state and you can also find great flight deals. Spokane, Washington (GEG) doesn't get the credit it deserves as a travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The town of Couer d'Alene, Idaho and its famous Lake Couer d'Alene are just across the state line from Spokane, as are the Couer d'Alene Mountains and the Kaniksu National Forest near Sandpoint, Idaho (home to Schweitzer Ski Resort).
Spokane (GEG) fares began to plummet for this fall, bottoming out a few days ago when we sent this flight deal. It included tons of Labor Day availability for low, low prices.
If you want to trade in your hiking boots for some flip flops, we can get you there, too. Cheap flights to Los Angeles (LAX) have been lingering the last few months, including this Labor Day.
Dozens of the cities on this list have some cheap availability for your Labor Day weekend trip, including Denver (DEN).
For travelers based on the east coast, it's going to be easier to find a cheap Labor Day flight a little closer to home, and we can do that for you, too! Head to New England for an idyllic summer getaway.
These September fares to Boston (BOS) also include that first weekend of the month. For travelers down in South Carolina looking for a break from the heat, just $105 roundtrip can make that happen for you, for instance.
These domestic flights are all lovely weekend escapes to celebrate Labor Day, but you can go just a little further to take advantage of your day off, too. You still won't need your passport for this one, but it's a Caribbean island that will feel a world away.
That's right: Puerto Rico is calling!
San Juan (SJU) flights have been especially cheap lately, as have flights to the whole of Puerto Rico, too. And there's no exception for Labor Day.
Finally, one sure-fire way to snag a cheap flight over Labor Day is to fly to a country that doesn't celebrate our Labor Day. Flights up to Canada for Labor Day weekend are cheap, and that includes one of Canada's most charming cities: Montréal (YUL).
This flight deal up to Quebéc included Labor Day weekend availability from several of the cities on this list, including places like Boston (BOS), Minneapolis (MSP), and the other Canadian cities up north.
Plus, because Canada doesn't celebrate Labor Day like we do, the Labor Day travel demand rule doesn't exist. You can fly back on Labor Day itself for the same price as any other day. In Canada, Sep. 2 is just another Monday.
Bottom Line
If you're looking for a last-minute Labor Day getaway, you're in luck. Domestic flight prices have been ridiculously low this summer as everyone heads abroad, and we're still finding some cheap fares for the holiday weekend.
Take advantage of the long weekend and use Google Flights Explore and the Google Flights calendar tool to find the cheapest destination city from your departure airport, or book a cheap Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal.
