How Early Is Too Early To Book A Holiday Flight? Experts Say The Answer Has Changed

How early is too early to book a holiday flight ? At this point, travel gurus are telling people not to wait . Book your Thanksgiving travel immediately and start watching fares for Christmas and New Year's. Sadly, we've already missed the window for low fares on international flights.

Fares have gone up, up, up and away since oil prices started rising due to the conflict with Iran. But this pattern isn't exactly new, and no one really expects prices to come back down.

"Last year, Thanksgiving fares rose with each passing month starting in July," The Points Guy notes . "The sharpest fare jump happened in mid-September."

Currently, Thanksgiving fares are around 13 percent higher than in 2025. Domestic airfare between December 18 and January 3 is running 18 percent higher than last year. If you're wondering if it could get worse, well, yes.

"In June, average ticket prices were up a whopping 27% over last year," The Points Guy declares.

The Points Guy recommends booking Thanksgiving travel by Labor Day weekend—that's right now. But there is a slight possibility you could get lucky if you wait to book your flight. The Dollar Flight Club recommends booking Thanksgiving travel 35-45 days in advance, which is around mid-October. Last year, some fares did drop briefly at that time.

Dollar Flight Club also refers to 51 days before Christmas as the "sweet spot" for booking cheap domestic flights for end-of-the-year travel. But regardless of which holiday you want to travel for, Dollar Flight Club advises booking all flights by Halloween this year.

How To Save Money On Holiday Flights

Unfortunately, there's no way to know whether the price of the particular flight you want to book will drop. The price could keep increasing. Savings could be limited to airports nowhere near your destination. But there are several things to keep in mind if you want to save money on holiday flights:

• Book a refundable flight, then use a fare-tracking tool in case prices come down. You may be able to rebook later and get a credit.

• Check smaller airports in the area to see if they have cheaper flights.

• Avoid flying the weekend before or after Christmas. These are the most expensive days to fly.

• If you really want to save on Thanksgiving travel , fly to your destination on Thanksgiving Day. Return home any day other than the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

• Check early morning and late-night fares for lower prices.

Read the original article on Southern Living