Thanksgiving and Christmas: Best Dates to Buy Airfare for the Holidays

The holiday season is still a few weeks away, but now is the time to start booking your travel tickets, reports USA Today.

Photo: IStock

“Typically, you need to buy tickets two months in advance,” said Jake Bouvrie, chief economist at KAYAK. “The best time for Thanksgiving is now.”

While many of us are unhappy with high holiday prices, there is some good news this year: Domestic prices are down across the board.

“Last year was a record expensive year,” Bouvry said.

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Hopper's lead economist Haley Berg agreed, citing forecast tourism application for 2023.

This Thanksgiving, airfare is on average 14% lower than last year and car rentals are down 17%, which is good news for travelers looking to spend the holiday away from home. At Christmas, airfares were down 12% compared to last year.

Here are some expert tips for saving as much money as possible when booking.

Will this holiday season be busy?

According to tourism experts, demand is high this holiday season, especially since Christmas and New Year fall on the weekend. According to a Hopper survey, 86% of travelers plan to fly for one or both vacations this year.

When should you book your tickets?

You can get some of the best rates if you make your reservation about 50 days before departure, Bouvry says. You should try to book all flights before the end of October.

That means it's time to start booking your Thanksgiving flights now.

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For Christmas, Hopper recommends travelers book their flights by October 14th. Airfare prices will be volatile but still low during this time, so you should monitor prices using a flight tracker.

KAYAK gives a few more days, suggesting travelers should make their purchase before October 24, which is when prices were at their lowest in 2023.

When is the cheapest time to travel this holiday season?

Those who are flexible with their travel dates will save the most money this holiday season, Bouvrie says. Travelers can use the tool KAYAK Best Time to Travel, to find out which days are best to book for your itinerary.

For Thanksgiving, Hopper said the cheapest day to travel now is Nov. 20, the Sunday before the holiday. You can save up to 13% on your flight. To return home, consider flying back on November 21st or, if you can, wait until November 27th to save as much money as possible.

At Christmas, you'll save the most money if you fly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself.

Hopper has found that flying out on December 18 or 19 and returning home midweek after Christmas, which falls on a Monday, is cost-effective.

When is the worst time to travel this holiday season?

Berg found that the most expensive day to travel during Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, the Sunday after the holiday. Air tickets on this day will be 40% more expensive than on the next.

“Definitely avoid traveling on Dec. 22,” Bouvry said. “This is the busiest day for travel.” This will also be the most expensive day.

According to Hopper, returning home on December 26, the day after Christmas, will also be expensive - you'll pay 7% more.

Which airports are the busiest this holiday season?

According to KAYAK forecasts, the busiest airports during Thanksgiving will be:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)

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In December, the busiest airports will be:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

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