Holiday travel 2025: Prices are higher year over year, but don't wait much longer to book
- Prices are higher year over year for holiday travel.
- Right now is the best booking window, before prices start rising quickly.
- Set Google Flights alerts and carefully monitor prices.
Our final report on holiday airfare trends suggests prices are higher year over year.
Prices for both Thanksgiving and Christmas trips are higher this year than last year, but we don't expect prices to drop much more. We are now in the sweet spot when prices aren't too high and aren't likely to get lower.
Right now is traditionally the best booking window for holiday trips.
New data from our friends at Points Path shows fares are higher for the holidays across the board year over year. Points Path is a free web browser extension that shows points and miles award prices in Google Flights, along with cash fares. Points Path uses reams of search data to better understand how airlines are currently pricing flights.
Related: How to use the Points Path extension to compare cash and award rates in Google Flights
Right now, prices are between 1% and 4% higher year over year for domestic trips during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Our best advice is to book now if you see a deal, and set Google Flights price alerts to monitor the flights you are looking at or have already booked. If the price drops, remember that you can get a trip credit for the fare difference (provided you didn't book basic economy).
2025 prices for Thanksgiving travel
On Oct. 19, we collected data on more than 100,000 flights with economy fares during Thanksgiving week, along with search data for international coach and premium cabins.
Overall, coach prices within the U.S. are up by more than 3% year over year to about $586. Business-class and premium economy prices are down slightly year over year.
International prices are up 3% year over year in the coach cabin, though we are seeing cheaper prices for premium cabins. That may be the best news from this report. If you want to travel in business class or first class, we are seeing substantial savings year over year.
This data also contradicts pricing trends for the whole year to date; fares have generally been lower across the board until now.
Related: New data confirms steep drop in Labor Day weekend airfare
TPG recommends booking domestic airfare one to two months ahead of travel, so prices are not likely to come down in the next few weeks.
Right now, the Points Path data shows the cheapest day to travel during Thanksgiving week is Thanksgiving Day itself, with an average airfare of about $470. If you leave early that week (like on Monday), you'll find the average fare is $537. The second-lowest airfare is for the day after Thanksgiving at $517.
Not surprisingly, the most expensive travel days are the weekend after Thanksgiving, with Saturday at $698 and Sunday at $802.
Related: The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare in 2025
2025 prices for Christmas travel
Prices for Christmas flights show similar trends, with domestic economy flights costing an average of about $639 compared to about $633 in 2024. Premium cabins show even steeper price increases.
International fares are slightly lower year over year so far, at an average of $1,258. International business-class trips are an exception, as they are just under 1% higher on average.
Right now is really the best booking window before prices start rising quickly. Remember to set those flight alerts and start monitoring prices. You will probably want to pull the trigger by Halloween for Thanksgiving trips; for Christmas, plan on being booked a week or two after Halloween at the latest. Prices will likely increase quickly from then.
TPG and Points Path data shows that the cheapest day to travel during the Christmas holidays is Christmas Eve, with an average airfare of about $530. If you can travel on New Year's Eve, that is the other cheapest day, with an average airfare of $528.
The most expensive days are Saturday, Dec. 20, when the average price is $851, and Friday, Dec. 26, at $815.
Best time to book flights
It's a myth that you can get better prices by waiting until Tuesday at midnight or some other special time of day or week to book. But you can often get a better deal if you fly midweek or are willing to travel on weekends, especially Saturday. Generally, there is less business travel during those days, so you'll get better deals.
Typically, you'll want to book domestic flights one to two months ahead of time. Traditionally, we've seen the best prices for Thanksgiving travel in October.
The booking windows for international trips are a bit earlier. You should book international travel three to five months ahead of time.
Remember that if you're using airline miles, it's never too soon to start checking and booking. We usually find the best availability for business class when schedules open, or within a few days before the trip, though your mileage may vary.
For domestic redemptions, it's a bit more dynamic. TPG suggests booking when you can find a "good enough" redemption and then monitoring prices. Remember, as long as you haven't booked basic economy, you should be able to cancel and get your miles back if you find a better deal.
I strongly encourage folks to set Google Flights alerts and carefully monitor prices. Points Path can also monitor airline award prices and alert you to changes.
If you are booking with an airline that will give you a flight credit if the cash price drops, you might also want to lock in a lower cash or miles price now if you see a travel time you really want to be sure to lock in. Then, if the price drops, you can call the airline and get a trip credit for the difference (just don't book basic economy).
Related: How to get money back on your flights
More hacks for cheaper travel
I've written extensively about how to save money on travel, but my top tips remain the same:
- Price out vacation packages with companies like American Airlines Vacations.
- Use Google Flights Explore to find the cheapest destinations from your home airport.
- Set price alerts on Google Flights and track prices.
- Book now and rebook later if the prices drop (don't try this with basic economy fares).
- Use award booking tools (like Points Path).
- Be flexible with your dates.
- Consider alternative airports.
Bottom line
Prices are currently higher year over year for most air travel around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. But that doesn't matter at this point — it's time to book. The next few weeks are the best time to book flights for the holidays.
Set those price alerts and plan to book Thanksgiving trips by Halloween at the latest and Christmas trips by mid-November at the latest. Or, just use those points and miles.
Related reading:
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