This holiday season, over 120 million of us are going to be traveling.  Of those 120 million, 35% or about 90 million of us are going to travel 100 miles or further.  So, unless you’re like the Griswolds, and like to pack up the family, gifts, and pet, for a traffic laden road trip, you’re going to probably be flying.  Why not fly private?  Now, I know what you’re thinking; “hey Flewber blog person, flying private is too expensive!”  Well, flying private does cost more money than going commercial but depending on your budget and how far that you’re traveling, it may be less money than you think and well worth it for the time and aggravation that you’ll save.

Let’s start with some numbers!  This year, the average cost of a commercial airline ticket is up 40% over last year, and gasoline prices have risen 48% in that same period.  So no matter how you plan on traveling, it’s going to cost you more. Which leads me to our tips:

Tip 1. Know how far you need to go.

Obviously, if you live on the East Coast and mom and dad are retired in Hawaii, flying private is going to be a lot of money.  But since most people travel less than 500 miles, the price for going private isn’t as bad as you think.  Let’s look at a trip to visit the folks that are within 300 miles of you.  If you’re a family of 5, your cost to fly private is going to be about $600 to $800, on average, per person to get there.  But when you think about the convenience of being able to avoid countless hours behind the wheel or not having to put up with packed airports and getting the family through security, it’s really not that bad.

Tip 2. Bid on a flight using the Flewber app

The Flewber app has a lot of great features;, one of them is the Bid button.  Bidding on a trip lets you save money, a lot of it, up to 30%, off of the cost of a private plane.  That type of savings can bring the cost per person down to $420 to $560.  Hey, this flying private is looking better, isn’t it?

Tip 3. Share a flight using the Flewber app

Another great feature of the Flewber app is the Share button.  Let’s say you don’t have a spouse and 2 kids, but your sibling has a family of 4.  With a tap of the Share button, you can let them or anyone know of your plans to go see mom for the holidays and split the cost.  You can even Bid and Share the same flight for really big savings!

So, there you have it.  Flying private with the Flewber app is easier and can cost less money than you may have imagined. Just a quick word of advice: Don’t forget to get a nice present for mom.  She’s going to know how much money you saved flying with Flewber. Happy holidays and don’t forget to download the Flewber app!