Video: Airlines launch surprise airfare sale

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SEATTLE - It's usually not good to put off until tomorrow what you should have done already. But when it comes to holiday plane tickets, it looks like waiting may be easier on your wallet.

For the past several months travel experts have been predicting airfares would go through the roof over the holidays and in some cases they did, but now the sour economy is forcing airlines to launch a surprising sale.

After struggling to eke out a profit with soaring fuel costs, airlines began sharply cutting back on flights. A USA Today study found from the Thursday before Thanksgiving to the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the airlines would fly 3,000 fewer flights each day. Travel experts started sounding the alarm, telling consumers to buy tickets early or pay a hefty price.

"It means fewer flights, fewer routes, higher prices, fewer seats," said Marilyn Adams, USA Today.

And people have been paying higher prices, but the airlines apparently haven't been racking up enough holiday business.

As a result, Northwest Airlines started slashing holiday fares on Tuesday and most major carriers have followed suit. Some experts are calling it the biggest fare sale they've tracked in at least 18 months, with some prices slashed by 25% - a surprise indeed, which could be an early holiday gift.

Some of the sale fares have black out dates on November 30th and December 1st, and the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving. So if you want to travel on those most popular days, you will still likely be paying a higher ticket price.