Fall deals: Round-trip flights to warm-weather cities for around $100
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Over the summer it was rare to find round-trip airfare with just two digits. As prices drop heading into the fall months, though, that's becoming the case more frequently.
If you're itching for a fall getaway, there are some great deals on fares to a number of warm U.S. cities perfect for an autumn escape.
Depending on where you live, there may be deals available for around $100 round-trip (give or take $15 to $20) to cities such as Miami, Orlando or Austin.
Whether you want to spend a couple of fall days at Walt Disney World, enjoy South Beach without the holiday crowds, walk the French Quarter or attend the Austin City Limits music festival, there are plenty of good options available in October and November.
Deal basics
Airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines.
Routes: New York/Washington to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando; Los Angeles and Denver to Austin.
Travel dates: October-November 2022.
How to book: Directly with the airlines or with Google Flights.
Sample flights
The deals involve domestic round-trip flights in the mid to late fall. While the list above may not capture every combination of cities, the general idea is that you can find options at times when these cities are less crowded.
We even found some sub-$100 round-trip options aboard legacy U.S. carriers, which is certainly better than anything you would have found this past summer.
Here are a few of the options we found:
- Denver to Austin for $90 on United.
- Los Angeles to Austin for $108 on Delta.
- New York to Miami for $98 on JetBlue.
- Washington to Orlando for $128 on JetBlue.
- Washington to Miami for $138 on JetBlue.
- Miami to Austin for $138 on American.
- New York to Orlando for $118 on United.
Let's start with one of the cheapest options we found: trips from the New York area to South Florida. There are a number of round-trip options for less than $100. This particular itinerary for the final week of October involves a departure from Newark/Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Miami International Airport (MIA) for $98 aboard United. The flight takes about three hours.
Related: A beginner's guide to Miami: everything you need to eat, see and do
Travelers from the Washington, D.C. area looking to visit Walt Disney World, Universal Studios or elsewhere in Orlando have a variety of round-trip options in the low-$100s. This early-November itinerary aboard JetBlue for $128 includes flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).
There are some very inexpensive flight options to Austin throughout the fall months as well. I found round-trip flights between Los Angeles and Austin for $108. These Delta Air Lines flights occur the first week in November.
Here's an even less expensive option to Austin from Denver. A mere $90 gets you a round-trip journey out of Denver International Airport (DEN) on United.
Related: The 9 best things to do in Austin
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, which earns 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). The Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Reserve earn 3 points per dollar on airfare, and the American Express® Gold Card also earns 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2 points per dollar on travel.
Bottom line
Autumn can be a great time to plan a getaway to somewhere warm, just as the temperatures are beginning to drop closer to home. Avoid the largest crowds and the highest fares with these deals to some normally busy U.S. cities in October and November.