Where to Find Last-Minute Flight Deals for Spring Break 2026

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Spring Break always sneaks up faster than you expect. One minute it’s New Year’s, the next everyone’s planning trips to the beach, and you’re staring at flight prices that make you wonder if it’s even worth going. I’ve been there, ready for a break but not ready to spend half my budget just to get on the plane.

What most people don’t realize is that airlines would often rather sell the last seats at a discount than let them fly empty. The key is being set up to spot those fares quickly, because they never last long. Once I started paying attention to that, I stopped assuming Spring Break travel had to be overpriced.

✈️ Pro Tip: Want Spring Break flight deals sent straight to your inbox? Going is the service I use to catch them. Their free membership has cheap flight alerts for domestic flights, and with Premium you’ll unlock international fares. Use code JON25 to save 25% on Going Premium and be first in line when the discounts hit.

1. Use Going Alerts Instead of Hunting Manually

I used to think the only way to find a good fare was to check flight prices every day. The problem is, by the time you spot something decent, the best deals are usually gone. Airlines don’t announce when they drop fares, and Spring Break seats can disappear in hours.

That’s why I recommend setting up Going alerts. I use them myself, and they’ve saved me from overpaying more times than I can count. You choose your home airport (and maybe a couple of nearby ones you’d fly from), and Going does the watching for you. When a fare drops, you immediately get a push notification on your phone or it lands right in your inbox, giving you a real chance to book before it’s gone.

I recently spotted a deal on Going for Newark to San Juan, Puerto Rico for just $152 roundtrip, nonstop with United. Normally that route is $400-$500. Catching that kind of deal is exactly why I trust Going to find my Spring Break flights.

✈️ Pro Tip: Some of my best Spring Break trips have started with a Going alert. It’s the easiest way to catch deals before they vanish, because you’ll hear about them the moment they pop up.

2. Be Flexible With Airports 

Not all airports are equal when it comes to deals. Big hubs like Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas tend to get far more discounted seats than smaller airports. Living in Boston, I’ve seen this myself. Sometimes JFK or Newark will have a Spring Break fare hundreds cheaper than anything out of Logan.

In those cases, it’s been worth booking a short positioning flight or even hopping on the train to New York the night before. I once did exactly that for a trip to Cancun. Even after adding the cost of getting to New York, I still saved almost $250 compared to flying nonstop from Boston.

✈️ Pro Tip: Going lets you add multiple airports to your alerts, not just your home base. I always include JFK and Newark alongside Boston so I don’t miss a Spring Break deal that pops up from a bigger hub nearby.

3. Know When to Book (and When Not To)

“Last-minute” doesn’t mean booking the night before. In fact, that’s usually when flights are most expensive. The best window for Spring Break fares is often 3-5 months before departure. It’s important to note that there’s often a mini sweet spot exactly 21 days out (the 21 day advance purchase requirement), when airlines adjust prices on routes that aren’t selling as expected. However, fares rarely and unreliably drop after that point. On the most popular routes, good fares can definitely disappear much earlier.

One of my best examples was a trip to Puerto Rico. For months the fare sat at over $500, then three weeks before March it dropped by almost $200. I booked right away, and within a few days the price had climbed again. It showed me that waiting too long can cost you, but booking at the right time really pays off.

✈️ Pro Tip: With Going, you don’t have to guess when that drop will happen. Set alerts 3-5 months before Spring Break and you’ll get notified the moment prices dip, which is the easiest way to catch the sweet spot without constant searching.

4. Mix Points and Cash to Stretch Your Budget

Sometimes the best “last-minute deal” isn’t a cheap cash fare at all. I’ve saved myself from overpaying during busy weeks by using points when cash prices stayed high. Even covering just one leg with miles can take a big chunk out of the total cost.

What helps most is having flexible credit card points, like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards. You can transfer them to different airlines, which gives you more chances to find award space. Going also makes this easier by flagging points-and-miles deals alongside cash fares, so you know when award seats have opened up.

One recent alert showed Boston and New York to Spain for just 13k points + $244 roundtrip, which is far less than the 30k+ points each way you’d normally expect to Europe. That kind of deal can make a Spring Break trip possible even when cash prices are painful.

✈️ Pro Tip: Before you book, always check what your points are worth compared to the cash price. If the math doesn’t add up, save your miles for a better redemption and pay cash instead.

5. Watch for Flash Sales and Overlooked Routes

Some of the best Spring Break fares come from places you wouldn’t expect. Airlines sometimes run quick flash sales to fill empty seats, and if you catch one, you can save hundreds. The trick is knowing which carriers tend to do this.

TAP Portugal, for example, is known for dropping surprise sales out of East Coast hubs, sometimes cutting fares to Lisbon or Porto in half. I once saw Boston to Lisbon for just under $350, while the same week other airlines were still charging nearly $800!

Closer to home, JetBlue and Southwest often run last-minute sales to the Caribbean in February and March – exactly when Spring Break crowds are looking.

✈️ Pro Tip: Sign up for airline sale emails and keep an eye on carriers known for flash discounts. These fares usually disappear within a day, so having alerts and being ready to book quickly makes all the difference.

6. Stay Flexible With Your Destination

One of the easiest ways to save on Spring Break is to let the deal decide where you go. The truth is, prices don’t rise evenly across every destination. Cancun might be sky-high one week while Cartagena or Lisbon are hundreds cheaper. If you’re open to swapping one beach (or city) for another, you give yourself far more chances to score a bargain.

I’ve done this a few times myself. One year I wanted to go to Mexico but the fares were brutal, so I booked San Juan, Puerto Rico instead. The flights were almost $250 cheaper, the beaches were just as beautiful, and it ended up being one of my favorite Spring Break trips.

✈️ Pro Tip: When you set Going alerts, don’t limit them to just one dream spot. Add a few places you’d genuinely enjoy and let the deals guide you. Sometimes the trip you didn’t plan for turns out to be the best one (trust me on this!).

✈️ Your Spring Break Flight Deal Action Plan:

• ✅ Set Going alerts early so you catch sudden fare drops
• ✅ Add nearby airports for more options (BOS, JFK, EWR, MIA, LAX)
• ✅ Aim for the 3-5 month booking window
• ✅ Use points or a cash-and-points mix when prices spike
• ✅ Watch for flash sales from airlines like JetBlue, Southwest, and TAP
• ✅ Stay open on destination if one spot is hundreds cheaper
• ✅ Consider a positioning flight to a hub when it saves more overall
• ✅ Be ready to book quickly because good deals don’t linger!

Want Spring Break flight deals sent straight to your inbox? Start with Going’s free alerts for domestic routes, then use code JON25 to save 25% on Going Premium and unlock international deals and mistake fares.