What to know about booking holiday travel this year
With jet fuel prices remaining high, experts say holiday travel is expected to be more expensive this year, and the booking window to secure cheap flights has narrowed.
Airfare for Thanksgiving and Christmas is reaching a 10-year high, according to travel site Hopper. This has led to more people booking earlier than they did this time last year, as travelers try to get ahead of potentially higher prices.
The domestic round trip for Thanksgiving is averaging around $402, up 31% compared to last year, according to Hopper. Hotel bookings for Thanksgiving so far are averaging $170 per night, in line with last year's prices.
Airfare for Christmas tends to be higher than Thanksgiving, and Hopper says they're currently averaging $452 for a domestic round trip, up 23% compared to last year.
"Flyers are going to not just combat higher prices this year, but also the reality of fewer affordable options," Katy Nastro, aviation and travel correspondent at Flighty, a flight-tracking website, told ABC.
This will be the first year without low-budget Spirit Airlines -- which shut down operations in May -- to help pull down fares by roughly 15% in each market it operated, she said.
"Even with Spirit only serving a fraction of the domestic market, it still means there is one fewer budget airlines to put pressure on the larger carriers," she added.
The prices for major international travel destinations over Christmas are also high with fares up by 23% for Mexico and Central America, and up by 15% for Europe, according to Hopper.
However, travelers headed to destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Oceania should expect to see airfare similar to 2025 levels or slightly lower, per Hopper. Hotel prices for Christmas are averaging $197 per night, up 18% from last year.
How to secure the best deals?
Book your trip before Halloween: Hopper recommends monitoring the prices now and making a plan to book your trip in the next few weeks and before Halloween to get the lowest prices.
The travel-booking company also says that travelers headed to major cities for Thanksgiving or Christmas could see a price drop for hotels in the last 24-48 hours before the holiday. If you are flexible about which hotel to stay at or are booking a last-minute trip, you could also score a deal when that price drop happens for your city.
Break up with the round trip: For some destinations, it might be cheaper to buy two one-way tickets instead of a round trip, sometimes even on different airlines, according to travel search engine Kayak.
For domestic trips, Kayak says this hacker fare strategy can save money on flights to Boston, Denver, Miami, Orlando, and Chicago. If you are looking to travel internationally, you could get cheaper flights this way for St. Maarten, Tokyo, Cancun and Singapore.
Fly out from a bigger city versus a small one: You are more likely to find a deal at this stage from a larger hub city this year than a smaller city. More frequency of flights, more competition (of what’s left), more options to get rebooked when things go awry, Nastro told ABC News.
Flexibility is key: Experts say travelers could save hundreds of dollars on airfare if they are flexible on the dates they travel as millions of people fly around the same time for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, leading to higher prices due to the demand.
Choose an international trip: More people choose to travel domestically than internationally over the holidays. This year, many travelers are budget-conscious amid higher everyday expenses and might be taking one trip over two, so Nastro says it might be worth booking an international trip over domestic.
"If you're only taking one trip, it may be worth looking abroad," she said. "In some cases, a Thanksgiving flight to Paris at $595 could be more memorable than a rinse and repeat flight to Salt Lake City for $526."
Consider travel insurance and use your rewards/points: When booking your trips, Hopper recommends getting travel insurance or adding flexible booking options like being able to cancel for any reason on your flights and hotel bookings so you can get a refund if there are any issues or if you find a better deal later on. This is also a good time to use any rewards/points and miles you have from hotels and flights to save money where and when you can.
What are the most expensive days for travel?
Thanksgiving
The most expensive and popular day when departing for the holiday is Wednesday.
Hopper says Monday, Nov. 23, is the most affordable day for travelers to depart with airfare averaging around $370 -- that's about $50 less than the flights leaving on Wednesday. If you are someone who does not have the flexibility or enough time off to leave early, you can also save money by departing on Thanksgiving Day when the average airfare is around $371, per Hopper.
When returning from Thanksgiving holiday, Hopper recommends avoiding Sunday, Nov. 29, as it's one of the single most expensive days of the year to travel -- with airfare as high as $604 on average for a round trip. Those returning on Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving can save as much as $250 on an average domestic round-trip ticket with fares being around $350. If returning later is not an option, Hopper says returning on Black Friday is cheaper as well with the average airfare of $420.
Christmas
Travel for Christmas is generally more flexible as schools and colleges are out a few days before the holiday. The most expensive days for the holiday are between Dec. 18 through Dec. 20, with tickets averaging just below $500, according to Hopper.
For the best deal, Hopper recommends leaving the Monday or Tuesday before the holiday when ticket prices averaging around $440. Kayak also says leaving on Dec. 21 or Dec. 22 could save travelers about 18% on their flights.
When returning after Christmas, Hopper recommends avoiding Sunday, December 27, as ticket prices are up by 20%. The best time to return is mid-week but before Jan. 2 as Hopper says that's when prices start surging over $560 on average for a flight as many people start returning from their vacation.
For international travelers, Kayak says the best deals are for Dec. 31.
Where can I travel?
Popular destinations for the holidays are New York, Florida, Canada, London, Paris and Mexico City.
Though it might seem that flying to a popular destination will be expensive, destinations in Florida and the Carolinas are seeing some of the lowest domestic fares, according to Kayak.
The average round-trip fare to Punta Gorda, Florida, for the holidays is $307 and the average airfare for Asheville, North Carolina, is $344. Major cities are also seeing good deals with Atlanta round-trip averages coming out to $365 and $381 for Chicago, per Kayak.
For those looking to travel internationally, Kayak says Canada and Mexico have seven of the 10 lowest-priced spots. The average round-trip fare to Toronto is $486, and the average fare for Montreal and Calgary are under $570, according to Kayak. The fares for Mexico City are averaging just around $600 for the holidays.
Holiday travel also brings large crowds on the roads and in the skies as millions head out for their vacation along with weather disruptions.
Here are a few tips from travel experts to help minimize any disruptions:
Book the first flight of the day or an early morning flight: Flights departing after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed than the flights scheduled between 5 a.m.-8 a.m., according to Hopper. Even if your flight is delayed or cancelled, having an early morning flight gives you the option to get on another flight later in the day to your destination. It also helps avoid large volumes of traffic on your way to the airport later in the day.
Choose a direct flight: Though connecting flights are cheaper than direct flights, if you miss a connection for some reason or if one of your flights is delayed, it could disrupt the whole trip.
Buffer day for travel: Have an extra day between your travel day and the holiday so if your flight is delayed or canceled due to weather or any other reason, you will have extra time to still get to your destination before the holiday.
Get alerts: Once you have booked your trip, make sure you download the airline app and sign up to receive any alerts and updates related to your trip. This way, if there are any changes or delays, you will be notified immediately.
Despite all the planning, you could still run into travel disruptions as there is no certain way for experts or airlines to predict some issues, but being prepared can help make things easier.
Many airlines issue travel waivers during storms or weather advisories, allowing passengers to rebook their flights without any extra fees if it could be impacted or if it gets delayed or canceled. Some might offer travel credits as well, so check to see what the policies are for the airline you booked.
Under Department of Transportation guidelines, a traveler is entitled to a refund regardless of the reason if an airline cancels a flight, and the customer chooses not to travel.
It is also important to know your options in case you do run into disruptions.
Hopper recommends checking ahead to see what other flights and airlines are also headed to your destination in case your flight is impacted, so you know what other options are available.
Traveling from a major hub doesn't just help save money but it could also be helpful in case of a disruption.
Major cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Dallas have more than one airport which can make it easier to get to your final destination by car, Uber or a train/metro ride. Once you book your flight, make sure you know the options in the city you are traveling to and if it has multiple airports.
If your flight is impacted, speak to a customer service agent at the airport and Hopper recommends reaching out to the airline through their app or by giving them a call at the same time as well.
Some airlines now offer the option to rebook travel on their app which makes it easier and a lot of times it's quicker to reach an agent over phone than to speak to one in person as a lot of people are trying to figure out their travel plans when there's a disruption.
