Airfare for Thanksgiving and Christmas is reaching a 10-year high, according to travel site Hopper, as reported by ABC News. As prices rise, more travelers are booking earlier than they did last year to get ahead of potentially higher fares.
According to Hopper, domestic round-trip airfare for Thanksgiving is averaging about $402, up 31% from last year. Hotel bookings are averaging $170 per night, roughly in line with 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 flight-tracking website Flighty, told ABC News.
Airfare for the days immediately after Thanksgiving is also higher, with domestic round trips currently averaging $452, up 23% from last year, according to Hopper.
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This will also be the first holiday season without Spirit Airlines, which shut down earlier this year, bringing an abrupt end to more than three decades of low-cost flying in the United States and beyond.
Spirit previously helped lower fares by roughly 15% in markets where it operated, Nastro said.
“Even with Spirit only serving a fraction of the domestic market, it still means there is one fewer budget airline to put pressure on the larger carriers,” she added.
International airfare for major Christmas destinations is also elevated. According to Hopper, fares are up 23% for Mexico and Central America and 15% for Europe compared with last year.
Travelers heading to the Middle East, Oceania and Asia, however, can expect fares similar to 2025 levels or slightly lower, Hopper said. Hotel prices for Christmas are averaging $197 per night, up 18% from last year.
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Hopper recommended that travelers book their trips before Halloween to secure lower fares. The company also said travelers heading to major cities for Thanksgiving or Christmas could see hotel prices fall during the final 24 to 48 hours before the holiday.
Travel search engine Kayak said buying two one-way tickets, including on different airlines, could sometimes be cheaper than booking a round trip.
Nastro also told ABC News that travelers may be more likely to find deals this year when flying from major hub cities rather than smaller airports. Experts recommend flexibility on travel dates, as millions of people fly around the same time during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, driving up prices through increased demand.
With many travelers trying to manage higher everyday expenses and potentially choosing one holiday trip instead of two, Nastro said an international trip could sometimes be worth considering over domestic travel.