Airlines are copying retailers like Amazon and Walmart and starting a 'Black Friday' of their own

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Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.

• First, there was Black Friday, and then there was Cyber Monday. Now there's Travel Tuesday.
• Travel Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is slated to be the day to get a great deal on plane tickets.
• According to airfare prediction website Hopper, the number of flight sales on Travel Tuesday is expected to be double that of Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
• Several major airlines including Cathay Pacific, Southwest, EasyJet, Aer Lingus, and Alitalia have extended their Black Friday sales to include Travel Tuesday.

First, there was Black Friday, and then there was Cyber Monday. Now there's Travel Tuesday. In recent years, the number of airlines participating in the annual post-Thanksgiving retail fest that is Black Friday has steadily increased. However, airlines and the travel industry have taken a page out of Amazon and Walmart's playbooks with their own "day of deals." And it's begun to catch on.

Even though Tuesdays, in general, have been known as a good time to catch a good deal on a flight, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is expected to be even more fruitful for bargain hunters.

Airfare prediction website Hopper expects the number of flight sales on Travel Tuesday to be twice that of Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

The website claims it detected deals on 20% of all global routes last year during Travel Tuesday. And it expects fare sales to be impressive this year as well.

In fact, Hopper projects major savings on some of the world's most popular destinations including 41% off flights to London, 32% off flights to Paris, and 32% off flights to Hong Kong.

Read more: Airlines are joining in on Black Friday with major flight sales despite rising fuel costs.

Thus far, airlines have not yet posted Travel Tuesday specific deals. However, many major airlines have extended their Black Friday sales to cover Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday as well. Here are a few of the best deals:

• Southwest - Southwest is offering a $125 discount on US vacation packages and a $250 discount on international vacation packages. The discounts run through December 3.
• Cathay Pacific - The Hong Kong-based airline's deals include round-trip flights between the US and Asia for under $600, including Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles to Hong Kong. The deals are available through November 27.
• Aer Lingus - Irish Airline Aer Lingus is offering $50 off round-trip tickets on flights to Europe from cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington D.C. West Coast cities such as Los Angles, San Francisco, and Seattle get a $100 discount on flights to Europe. This deal is available until 6:59 pm ET on November 28.
• EasyJet - The British low-cost carrier is offering £50 or $64 discounts on more than 60,000 "City Breaks" or its flight and hotel packages. For example, a three-night weekend trip to Barcelona from London including flights and hotel for just £140 or $179 per person. No discount code necessary. The sale ends at midnight on November 28.
• Alitalia - Italy's national airline is offering discounts on its US routes including $653 for a round trip between New York and Milan. This deal expires at midnight on November 27.