If you have plans to travel in the new year, we have been seeing some amazing deals that will have you breaking out the bubbly.

These deals are available for travel until early March, when prices increase because of spring break and Easter. We should see more good deals for travel April 21 through early June, but these fares will probably not be as cheap as winter fares.

Prices spike for summer travel, so you might want to avoid traveling during peak season from around June 6 through Aug. 24. For travel after Aug. 25, prices will drop closer to the travel date, so don’t buy unless you see a cheap deal.

We expect to see Southwest Airlines offer a blowout sale sometime around June 9, for travel that will probably begin in late August. That will be a good opportunity to purchase cheap fares for travel beginning around Aug. 25 through Nov. 19, then again from Dec. 2 to Dec. 17.

Fuel prices not at fault

The airlines have been saying over and over that fares are high because of fuel costs, but that’s no longer true. We have talked about the big drop in fuel prices, and in December the price of oil dropped to the $55 to $60 range per barrel. That brings the cost of oil to 40 percent lower than what it was in summer. We haven’t seen oil prices like this since 2009, and that was a time we had some supercheap fares.

This drop in fuel prices gives the airlines a lot of wiggle room when it comes to pricing fares. The International Air Transport Association recently said fares should drop by 5 percent in 2015, and I think this was said to appease travelers who are wondering why fares are not dropping when fuel prices have plunged.

If you are in the market for summer air travel, you might want to check fares often and book early when you see a decent price.

As of press time, Southwest was taking reservations only through June 5. Because Southwest is not offering fares for travel past June 5, competitors including American have little incentive to lower fares for peak summer. Right now, some of American’s prices for nonstop flights in July are extremely high.

Once Southwest extends its schedule, we could see a price drop, but last summer we didn’t see a lot of discounts on Southwest, so we are not sure what we’ll see in the upcoming travel season.

Fares are often cheapest for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and sometimes Saturdays, and this also applies to peak summer. We checked July fares at press time and round-trip nonstop fares from Dallas to Hartford, Connecticut, on American were $556 on Tuesday and Wednesday and $725 on other days. Delta had a one-stop flight between Dallas and Hartford for $380 round trip, for travel seven days a week.

If you want to fly on the weekend, it would be almost half price on Delta with one stop, compared with American’s nonstop price.

If you were traveling to Hartford, you could also look at fares to Boston and New York City, because these cities have more competition and often lower fares.

Take a road trip?

If you are interested in a short-haul flight for summer, you might want to drive instead.

The average price we’re seeing from Dallas to short-haul cities, such as Austin, Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans, is $150 this spring, increasing to an average of $220 for summer.

If oil stays in the $60-per-barrel range, many of you will jump in the car to avoid the high airfares. For less than $70, I could fill up twice and make it to Austin, drive all around the city and back to Dallas with gas still left in my tank. That beats $880 for summer fares for a family of four, plus airport parking for your car, a rental car at your destination and $25 for each checked bag.

If you want to fly nonstop in summer, you’d better have a big piggy bank, because you will pay a premium of $100 to $200 per person on many routes. If you want to save, look at one-stop fares, which might be more expensive than we’ve seen in past summers but are cheaper than nonstops.

Also, look at off-peak days of the week and alternate airports to help lower those prices.