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Flights & bookingBy Clever Tourists · Published
Book now: it is not too late, but waiting is unlikely to help. Hopper's 2026 Holiday Travel Index puts the average domestic round trip at $402 for Thanksgiving, up 31%, and $452 for Christmas, up 23%, which it calls 10-year highs, and advises booking before Halloween. Kayak's history shows Thanksgiving fares bottom out about five weeks before the holiday, which this year was the week of 19 October, and then climb. The bigger saving now is choosing the right days: leaving on Monday 23 November instead of the Sunday rush, or flying on Thanksgiving Day itself. We spent Thanksgiving week 2023 in Bath after a week in London, and Christmas 2022 in Chiang Mai, so we include the international picture too.
No, but the cheap window is closing. Kayak found that last year Thanksgiving fares rose by as much as 16% in the week before the holiday and 21% during Thanksgiving week itself. Hopper's advice for 2026 is to book before 31 October, and it expects prices to rise as planes fill. For Christmas you have a little longer, but the same logic applies: a fare you are happy with today is more likely to rise than fall.
Two exceptions. Hopper notes hotel rates in big cities can drop 24 to 48 hours before the holiday, so you can leave a city hotel late if you are flexible.
Hopper attributes the jump mainly to elevated jet fuel costs linked to the conflict involving Iran, which pushed Thanksgiving and Christmas fares to their highest in a decade. Kayak also reports holiday fares are higher than last year, though the shape of the year has followed 2025. The longer story, including aircraft delivery delays and capacity, is in why are flights so expensive.
The rise is not even. Hopper's index shows Christmas fares to Mexico and Central America up about 23% and Europe up about 15%, while fares to Asia, Africa and Oceania are similar to 2025 or slightly lower. Hotel rates are flat for Thanksgiving at about $170 a night but up 18% for Christmas, to about $197.
Thanksgiving is Thursday 26 November.
• Cheapest departure: Monday 23 November. Hopper puts it at about $370 round trip, roughly $50 less than Wednesday; Kayak's average for domestic trips that day is $420, about 18% below the priciest date, Friday 20 November.
• Thanksgiving Day itself is nearly as cheap: about $371 on Hopper, and Kayak says up to 19% lower domestically and 49% lower internationally than 20 November.
• International: Kayak's best departure is Wednesday 25 November at about $639.
• Most expensive return: Sunday 29 November, about $604 round trip in Hopper's data. Returning Monday 30 November or Tuesday 1 December brings that down to about $350.
The Sunday is also the busiest day at the airport: TSA's all-time record, about 3.13 million screenings, was the same Sunday in 2025. Survival tips for that day are in holiday travel tips.
Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, which pushes the crush onto the weekend before.
• Most expensive departure: Friday 18 to Sunday 20 December, just under $500 round trip in Hopper's data; Kayak names 19 December as the priciest domestic date and 18 December for international.
• Cheapest departure: Monday 21 or Tuesday 22 December, about $466 to $469 domestic in Kayak's figures, roughly 18% below the peak. Internationally, Kayak's cheapest are 23 and 24 December, at about $1,024 to $1,063, some 31 to 34% below 18 December.
• Return: avoid Sunday 27 December, about 20% dearer than an early-week return. Hopper says returns before 2 January exceed $560.
• After New Year: Kayak finds a domestic trip departing Saturday 2 January can be up to 45% cheaper than 27 December, and an international departure on New Year's Eve up to 40% cheaper than 26 December. If you can travel on 31 December, see where to spend New Year's Eve abroad.
• Shift by a day or two. The day-of-week gaps above, $50 to $250 per ticket, are larger than anything a booking trick will save.
• Price two one-ways. Kayak's 2026 data shows separate one-way tickets saving up to 29% domestically and 30% internationally on some routes.
• Check nearby airports. Our cheap flights guide covers alternative airports, fare alerts and the total cost of budget carriers once bags are added.
• Go where fares fell. Kayak lists Cebu City (down 18%) and Phuket (down 16%) among the biggest year-on-year drops for the holidays. We spent December 2022 between the Philippines and northern Thailand: see our Chiang Mai guide and Coron guide.
For booking windows outside the holidays, see how far in advance to book international flights.
No, but prices are likely to rise. Kayak found Thanksgiving fares bottom out about five weeks before, and last year rose up to 16% in the week before the holiday. Hopper advises booking before Halloween.
Monday 23 November, about $370 round trip in Hopper's data, or Thanksgiving Day itself at about $371. Avoid returning on Sunday 29 November, about $604.
Monday 21 or Tuesday 22 December for domestic trips, and 23 or 24 December for international ones, according to Kayak. The weekend of 18 to 20 December is the most expensive.
Hopper attributes the 10-year-high fares mainly to elevated jet fuel costs linked to the conflict involving Iran. Thanksgiving domestic fares average $402, up 31%, and Christmas $452, up 23%.
Unlikely. Hopper expects prices to keep rising as flights fill, and Kayak's history shows fares climbing in the final weeks. City hotels are the exception and can drop 24 to 48 hours before.
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