10 Tips to Find Cheap Flights from Raleigh to Cancun
Follow these 10 tips from Hopper to find cheap flights from Raleigh to Cancun and you could save up to $277 per round-trip ticket!
Hopper Editors - Thu Oct 26 2017
With more airlines than ever before now offering the hop from the heartlands of the continental US to the sultry jungles, shimmering beaches and aquamarine seas of Central America, we can see why the bubbling towns and brilliant sand stretches of the Riviera Maya are on the rise as a destination. We can also see why more than 300 people are now searching for seats on the route between the Raleigh-Durham Airport and Cancun International every day, with North Carolinians no doubt eager for their own dose of the Caribbean sun. In fact, that’s why we’ve put together this list of 10 ways to find cheap flights from Raleigh to Cancun to help travelers bag the best bargain possible.
1. The cheapest time to book a flight from Raleigh to Cancun is 21 days in advance, saving up to $140
It looks as if Raleigh natives will have to hold back the adventurous spirit that’s implied by their city’s namesake when it comes to booking flights to Cancun, at least for three weeks or so, because our stats have shown that spontaneity costs money here, with the cheapest tickets on the route from Raleigh-Durham International Airport selling up around 21 days before departure. Leave it too late and round trip fares could soar to over $600, costing in the region of $140 more on average.
2. The cheapest time to fly from Raleigh to Cancun is in June or November, saving up to $80
Judging by the overall yearly price trend for flights on the route between Raleigh and Cancun, we’ve discovered that June and November are the cheapest months for North Carolinians to hit the Yucatan, offering up possible savings of $80 overall. That’s great news for anyone eager to avoid the seething spring break crowds of March and April, and perfect for travelers set on making the most of flagging shoulder-season hotel rates and sultry autumn temperatures alike.
3. The cheapest day to fly from Raleigh to Cancun is on a Tuesday, saving up to $14
Our stats have also shown that in the last four weeks, the cheapest flights from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Cancun departed on a Tuesday, affording passengers on-board a saving of up to $14 on average. In fact, we found that most days during the start of the week were relatively cheap for leaving town, while anyone looking to hit the Yucatan from Friday to Sunday could expect to pay a premium for the luxury.
4. Save up to $30 by returning on a Wednesday
If you don’t mind returning back to the relative cold of the Old North State on a Wednesday and missing out on another one of those legendary, rum-fueled party nights on the Riviera Maya in the process, then we’ve discovered that you could enjoy a reduction of up to $30 off the price of return trip flights between Raleigh and Cancun. And if Wednesday really isn’t doable, don’t fret, because Thursday and Tuesday are also nice and cheap.
5. The cheapest day to buy a flight from Raleigh to Cancun is on a Thursday, saving up to $14
If you think you can tear yourself away from Thirsty Thursdays at Natty Greenes for just one week, then you could bag a saving of up to $14 on your flights into Cancun. And if you really can’t bear to miss out on those $2 pale ales, you can rest assured that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are also all relatively cheap days to go searching for a ticket, boasting average round trip prices in the region of just $376!
6. Delta has the cheapest direct flights from Raleigh to Cancun, while United has the best deals overall
With a whopping six separate airlines fielding both direct and indirect connections between Raleigh and Cancun, finding the cheapest ticket here can be a tricky task to say the least. But never fear, because Hopper have collated average prices for each carrier running services between the two cities in the last four weeks, showing that while Delta Air Lines’ nonstop flight for $391 is a real bargain, the cheapest option overall has to be United Airlines’ indirect service via Washington, going for just $375.
Airlines offering direct flights from Raleigh to Cancun:- AeroMéxico makes the journey in 3 hours for $442 round trip, on average.- Delta Air Lines makes the journey in 3.5 hours for $391 round trip, on average.
Airlines offering connecting flights from Raleigh to Cancun:- American Airlines makes the journey in 8 hours via Dallas-Fort Worth for $377 round trip, on average.- AeroMéxico makes the journey in 6 hours via Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport for $477 round trip, on average.- JetBlue Airways makes the journey in 7.5 hours via Boston's Logan Airport for $388 round trip, on average.- Delta Air Lines makes the journey in 6 hours via Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport for $388 round trip, on average.
7. Frequent fliers on Delta can use 35,000 miles to book a round-trip ticket
If you’ve been hopping across the US on Delta Air Lines since longer than you can remember, then it’s certainly worth checking if you’ve accumulated enough air miles to score a flight from Raleigh to Cancun for free. Costing just 35,000 miles for departures during the low season, the connection is among the cheapest on Delta’s line up of international reward flights, scaling up to just 75,000 air miles each way for travel during peak times and costing extra for passengers looking for the comforts of first class.
8. Check out Hopper’s When to Fly and Buy Reports for up-to-date information
With more than 300 people searching for flight connections between Raleigh and Cancun every day, Hopper’s When to Fly and Buy Reports application has plenty of data to deal with (just under 800,000 separate searches each month in fact). That means oodles of detailed information about everything from monthly price trends and airline averages, to prime departure dates and market share; perfect for any would-be fliers eager to secure themselves a bargain on the route this year.
9. Take a look at Hopper’s Airline Fee Calculator to get the real cost of your ticket
Okay, so maybe you don’t need those checked bags packed to the brim with Carolina Hurricanes tees, or those extra carry-ons bursting at the seams with Mudcats and Wolfpack paraphernalia, but it’s always nice to know how much your chosen airline will charge you for such additional services. That’s why we’ve put together our Airline Fees Calculator, which offers a simple and comprehensive breakdown of all the hidden costs and charges associated with tickets between Raleigh and Cancun.
10. Keep in mind that a cheap flight from Raleigh to Cancun is about $378 round trip
As a final thought, we think it’s worth remembering that a good price for return trip flights on the route between Raleigh and Cancun is around $378. Yes, perhaps some passengers will manage to wrangle a sweeter deal, but we can guarantee they will be in the minority, while anyone hesitating at the booking stage here could risk joining the vast majority of passengers paying upwards of $694 for their ticket, and we don’t want that, do we?