The holiday season is about being together with your closest friends and family. But when those 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 destination. In any case, the christmas season Not only is it the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also the busiest time for travel.
Each year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day at airports in the United States. On November 26, 2023, the Transportation Security Administration screened a record 2.9 million passengers. The busy 2024 summer travel season broke that record twice, suggesting the 2024 holiday season will be even busier than before.
Related: 10 Ways to Get Through Airport Security Faster
“Flying during busy holidays, like Thanksgiving and New Year’s, not only means inflated fares compared to other times of the year, but also much busier airports.” Going spokesperson Katy Nastro told TPG. “If we look specifically at Thanksgiving, we will almost certainly see the busiest day on record that following Sunday. Over 3 million people are expected, if possible, avoiding this return date. [December 1st] “should be paramount.”
With airports experiencing such high levels of traffic and inflated prices, it’s essential that you know when to book your holiday airline ticket to get the best possible prices.
Here’s what you need to know to save on holiday travel this year.
Finding the cheapest holiday plane ticket
Book in advance
Your best bet for finding affordable vacation airfare is to book early. According to booking site HopperAccording to the 2024 holiday travel outlook, holiday season prices continue to decline. But, if you wait too long, they will start to rise.
Related: Best time to book flights with 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 change so frequently, it is not necessary to book yet. Instead, you can choose to monitor flight prices until mid-October and book when you see a fare drop.
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Set price alerts
Alternatively, you can book now and use Google Flights track the flight; This way, you can rebook your ticket if the price drops. Several major airlines will allow you revalue your ticket and issue you a credit for the difference if the rate goes down.
“By ensuring you have purchased a regular, non-basic economy ticket, you have the ability to rebook that flight at a lower cost once you are notified of a price drop and receive a credit for the difference to use in the future,” Nastro said. “Airlines don’t love this aspect, but it’s completely doable; you just have to make sure you’re not booking that non-changeable base fare.”
Days to avoid
There are also certain days that you should try to avoid completely if you want to keep costs down.
“Staying away from the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving to avoid crowds and higher fares is never a bad idea,” Nastro said. “Flying during the holiday itself, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, can help save more than 25% on the total ticket cost. People are likely to have arrived at their destinations and are therefore less likely to find full flights,” he added.
However, this rule does not necessarily apply to your return trip. Nastro noted that “delaying your return by 2 or 3 days can help save upwards of a hundred dollars or more, and you’ll encounter far fewer crowds.”
Related: 6 key tools and tips to find the cheapest plane ticket
Hopper’s data shows that travelers returning on the Sunday after Thanksgiving will pay up to 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 no getting around the fact that airline tickets will be above average. “For Christmas Eve and Christmas in the economy, it will cost quite a bit of money,” Nastro said. “I’d like to leave late on Christmas Eve, or even Christmas Day, to save more. If you leave on the 22nd or 23rd, you’ll probably pay even more for it,” he added.
According to Hopper’s data, you can save about 26% (or about $100) per ticket on domestic travel by departing on Christmas Eve instead of flying the weekend before. For your return trip, you can save more (about $68 per ticket on average) if you fly home on New Year’s Eve.
The cheapest places to travel on Thanksgiving
International flights during Thanksgiving Day
If you’re planning to spend Turkey Day outside the U.S., you’ll be happy to know that this is the best week of the year for international travel, according to data from Going. This is because most travelers fly domestically to visit family rather than internationally, allowing for widespread deals on international travel.
Your price may vary depending on your route and travel dates, but Going has spotted some good deals for Thanksgiving week. Here are some of the best starting prices for international round-trip travel:
- From New York to Paris for $383
- From New York to Madrid for $391
- Los Angeles to Dublin for $415
- Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City for $744
- From Phoenix to Helsinki for $477
- Cleveland to the Canary Islands for $552
- From San Francisco to Milan for $438
- Washington, DC, to Rio de Janeiro for $498
- Miami to Lisbon for $479
- Boston to London for $458
These are all a discount of 40% or more off typical prices for this period.
If you’d like to receive similar deals straight to your inbox, sign up to Going to get up to 90% off select flights through your Premium Membershipwhich users can try free for 14 days and then for $69 a year. You can also update to the elite level for $199 per year to access all Premium offers, plus premium economy, business class and first class alerts. You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.
Domestic flights during Thanksgiving Day
According to Hopper, the average price of a Thanksgiving Day airline ticket is currently about $298 for a round-trip ticket; Prices are expected to fall by about $40 on average until reaching their lowest point in early October. If you keep this in mind when searching for flights, you should be able to discern if you are getting a good deal.
Some of the most popular domestic Thanksgiving destinations based on Hopper searches are also the least expensive. 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 chosen a destination, head to Google Flights and compare prices to determine the cheapest departure and return days.
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 on November 26 and returning on December 1, It will cost $479 with American. Airlines if you book now. If your dates are flexible and you depart on November 27 (the day before Thanksgiving) and return on December 3, you can fly nonstop for $315 round-trip. You can save an extra $100 on the round trip if you can fly on Thanksgiving Day.
The cheapest places to travel at Christmas
Because Christmas is celebrated more widely, the same rules don’t apply to Christmas travel as they do to Thanksgiving travel. “In general, most countries with a rich religious history (especially Catholic) will probably recognize the Christmas holidays, and airlines are not going to miss the opportunity to get a piece of the pie,” Nastro said.
International flights during Christmas
If you follow the experts’ advice for flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas and returning home on New Year’s Eve, here are some of the best starting prices on nonstop flights we found using current Google Flights data (if you’re flexible with which airlines you fly with ). These prices may continue to drop as we approach mid-October:
- From New York to London for $582
- From New York to Paris for $688
- Atlanta to Cancun for $401
- From Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, for $270
- From Chicago to Grand Cayman for $585
- Houston to Tulum, Mexico, for $532
Domestic flights during Christmas
According to Hopper’s data, domestic airfare for Christmas travel averages about $406 for a round-trip ticket. However, it could drop as low as $80 in early October, which is the sweet spot for booking vacation airfare.
Popular domestic destinations include New York City, Orlando, Miami, Los Angeles and Honolulu. Here are some of the current low prices for round-trip flights between December 24 and 31 available with a quick Google flight search:
- From Houston to New York for $247
- Chicago to Orlando for $288
- Boston to Miami for $327
- From New York to Orlando for $282
- From Las Vegas to Dallas for $308
- Miami to Los Angeles for $226
In a nutshell
When it comes to vacation travel, the key word is “flexibility.”
“Flexibility can be one of the most important pieces in helping you travel more affordably during a busy season like the winter holidays. If you just want to get away, you’re much more likely to find something than being locked into a destination and just paying “. because that’s where you want to go,” Nastro said.
Even if you don’t have the flexibility to choose your destination, you can still save money on airfare adapting your departure and return dates to avoid the busiest travel days.
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