The holiday season is all about being together with your closest friends and family. But when your loved ones don’t live nearby, you may have to fly to visit them. Or maybe you’re the type to throw tradition out the window and instead celebrate the holidays in a faraway place. Either way, the holiday season isn’t just the most fun time of the year – it’s also the busiest time to travel.
Each year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day at US airports. On Nov. 26, 2023, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2.9 million high-profile passengers. The busy summer travel season of 2024 broke that record twice, suggesting that the 2024 holiday season will be even busier than ever.
Related: 10 ways to get through airport security faster
“Flying during peak holidays, such as Thanksgiving and New Year’s, not only means higher fares compared to other times of the year, but also busier airports,” Going spokeswoman Katy Nastro told TPG. “If we look specifically at Thanksgiving, we’ll probably see the busiest day in history hit the Sunday after that. With more than three million people expected to, if possible, avoid this return date. [December 1st] should be the priority.”
With airports seeing such high levels of traffic and inflated prices, it’s important to know when to book your vacation airfare to get the best prices possible.
Here’s what you need to know to save on holiday travel this year.
Finding the cheapest vacation airfare
Book in advance
Your best bet for finding affordable vacation airfare is to book early. According to Hopper’s 2024 holiday travel booking site, holiday season prices continue to drop. But, if you wait too long, they will start to rise.
Related: Best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare in 2024
Hopper recommends booking holiday airfare by October 14 to get the best prices on flights around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Because flight prices are constantly changing, you don’t have to book yet. Instead you may choose to monitor flight prices until mid-October and book when you see a drop in fares.
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Set price alerts
Alternatively, you can book now and use Google Flights to track the flight; this way, you can book your ticket if the price drops. A few major airlines will let you rebook your ticket and give you credit for the difference if the fare goes down.
“By making sure you buy a regular economy ticket, not a basic one, you have the ability to rebook that flight at a lower cost once you’re told about the price drop and get a credit for the difference that you’ll use in the future,” Nastro said. “Airlines don’t like this feature, but it’s totally possible; you should make sure you don’t book that fixed fare.”
Days to avoid
There are also certain days that you should try to avoid altogether if you want to cut costs.
“Skipping the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving to beat the crowds and fares is never a bad idea,” Nastro said. “Flying on the holiday itself, whether that’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, can help save more than 25% on the total ticket cost. People have probably already arrived at their destinations so you’re less likely to get full flights,” he added.
This rule does not apply to your return journey, however. Nastro noted that “Delaying your return by 2 or 3 days can help save you over a hundred dollars or more, and you’ll run into a lot less crowds.”
Related: 6 essential tools and tips for finding the cheapest airfare
Hopper’s data shows that travelers returning on the Sunday after Thanksgiving will pay about 45% — or an average of $137 per ticket — more than travelers waiting to fly home on Monday or Tuesday.
When Christmas rolls around, there’s really no getting around the fact that airfare will be higher than average. “Economically Christmas Eve and Christmas, it’s going to cost a pretty penny,” Nastro said. “I would like to leave Christmas Eve over, or even Christmas Day, to save more. If you go on the 22nd or 23rd, you’ll probably pay even more,” he added.
According to Hopper’s data, you can save about 26% – or about $100 – per ticket on a domestic trip by departing on Christmas Eve instead of flying out the weekend before. On your return trip, you can save even more — about $68 per ticket on average — if you fly home on New Year’s Eve.
Cheap places to travel on Thanksgiving
International flights on Thanksgiving
If you’re planning to spend Turkey Day outside the US, you’ll be happy to know that this is the best week of the year for international travel, according to data from Going. That’s because more travelers fly domestically to visit family than fly internationally, allowing for more widespread deals on international travel.
Your price may vary based on your route and travel dates, but Going has spotted some great deals for Thanksgiving week. Here are a few of the best starting prices for round-trip international travel:
- New York City to Paris for $383
- New York City to Madrid for $391
- Los Angeles to Dublin for $415
- Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City for $744
- Phoenix to Helsinki for $477
- Cleveland to Canary Islands for $552
- San Francisco to Milan for $438
- Washington, DC, to Rio de Janeiro for $498
- Miami to Lisbon for $479
- Boston to London for $458
All of this is 40% or more off the regular prices of the season.
If you want to get the same deals straight to your inbox, sign up for up to 90% off select flights with its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and $69 a year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year to access all the Premium deals, as well as premium economy, business and premium alerts. You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.
Flights home for Thanksgiving
According to Hopper, Thanksgiving airfare currently averages about $298 per round-trip ticket; prices are expected to drop by about $40 on average until they reach their lowest point in early October. If you keep that in mind when searching for flights, you should be able to see if you’re getting a good deal.
Some of the most popular Thanksgiving home spots based on Hopper searches are also relatively inexpensive. The average cost of flights to New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles is less than $315 (at the time of writing), while flights to Orlando and Miami average less than $300.
Once you’ve settled on a destination, go to Google Flights and compare prices to determine the cheapest departure and return dates.
For example, the cheapest nonstop flight for a five-day trip between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), departing Nov. 26 and returning on December 1, it will cost $479 with American Airlines if you book now. If your dates are flexible and you leave Nov. 27 (the day before Thanksgiving) and back Dec. 3, you can fly non-stop for $315 round trip. You can save another $100 round trip if you can fly on Thanksgiving.
Cheapest places to go for Christmas
Because Christmas is widely celebrated, the same rules don’t apply to Christmas travel as they do to Thanksgiving. “In general, many countries with a rich religious history (especially Catholic) are likely to observe Christmas holidays, and airlines will not give up the opportunity to get a piece of the pie,” Nastro said.
International flights at Christmas
If you’re following expert advice to fly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve and return home on New Year’s Eve, here are some of the best starting prices on non-stop flights we’ve found using current data from Google Flights (if you’re flexible with the airlines you have. fly with). These prices may continue to drop as we approach mid-October:
- New York City to London for $582
- New York City to Paris for $688
- Atlanta to Cancun for $401
- Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, for $270
- Chicago to Grand Cayman for $585
- Houston to Tulum, Mexico, for $532
Domestic flights for Christmas
Per Hopper data, domestic airfare for Christmas travel averages $406 per round-trip ticket. However, it may drop as low as $80 in early October, which is a sweet spot to book holiday airfare.
The most popular home locations include New York City, Orlando, Miami, Los Angeles and Honolulu. Here are some of the current low prices for flights between Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 found with a quick Google Flights search:
- Houston to New York City for $247
- Chicago to Orlando for $288
- Boston to Miami for $327
- New York City to Orlando for $282
- Las Vegas to Dallas for $308
- Miami to Los Angeles for $226
Bottom line
When it comes to vacation travel, the key word is “flexibility.”
“Flexibility can be one of the biggest pieces in helping you travel affordably during peak seasons like the winter holidays. If you’re just looking to get away, you’re more likely to find something versus stopping in a place and just paying because you want to go there,” Nastro said.
Even if you don’t have flexibility in choosing your destination, you can still save on airfare by combining your departure and return dates to avoid the busiest travel dates.
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