Higher airfares for holiday travel

CLEVELAND -- Some people are experiencing "sticker shock" when they look into booking holiday air travel.

Flights booked well in advance are often below the fares of last year, but many people are finding holiday flights more expensive.

A family of four looking for an afforable Cleveland-to-Boston flight for Thanksgiving will be staying home this year. The lowest fare they could find was $650 per person.

"They said when you're doing a family of four at $650 a pop, that's a lot of turkey you'd have to eat," said Deborah Shufran of North Star Travel in Independence.

Another family, planning its annual holiday vacation in Mexico found fares $400 per person higher than last year.

"The airlines have cut their routes in a big way," Shufran said. "Now there's only one or two flights for the day and everybody's being pushed onto those two flights."

Even in the recession fewer seats on fewer planes in the air bring higher fares.

Travel agents advise to book early and be flexible on the dates you want to fly. The highest fares are on peak flying days such as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Airlines recently announced $10 surcharges for flights at peak periods.