When to book your 2024 holiday travel and flights

If you want — or need — to travel this holiday season, start planning now because the perfect time to book travel for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s is fast approaching.

“The most important thing is that travelers continue to think about planning now and booking in October,” said Hayley Berg, chief economist at travel website Hopper. “This window of low prices is short, but it can really pay off.”

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But travelers who miss that window may have one last resort: so-called Travel Tuesday, which is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday.

On that day, “pretty much the entire travel industry goes up for sale,” Berg said.

Whenever you decide to confirm your reservations, keep in mind that travel during the holiday season can be fraught with complications, said Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet.

“The holidays are a tough time to travel because not only are you dealing with potentially harsher holiday weather, but you’re also dealing with larger crowds,” French said.

Here’s how to make sure you’re getting good value.

Prices for holiday travel are slightly higher compared to this time last year, Berg said.

On average, round-trip flights for Thanksgiving — defined as departures between Nov. 24 and 28 — currently cost about $298, according to in Hopper’s Holiday Travel Outlook 2024 report. That’s up 10% from a year ago and 3% from pre-pandemic levels, according to the travel website.

Prices are expected to decline by about $40 on average until they bottom out in early October, when prices will likely align with 2023 levels, the report noted.

Similarly, airfares for Christmas travel – defined as the week of December 21-25 – averaged $406 per round-trip booking, up 4% from a year ago and 13% from the period before the pandemic, per Hopper.

However, prices are expected to decline by about $80 from current levels until they hit their lowest point in October, according to the report.

“It’s very important for travelers to think about booking their travel now so that when October rolls around, they’re ready,” Berg said.

If you’re “super last-minute and want to book something for Christmas or New Year,” according to Berg, “a good day to bookmark” is Dec. 3, or this year’s Travel Tuesday.

“You might get lucky and … swing something at the last minute,” Berg said, as deals that day can include deep discounts on hotel stays, airline tickets and car rentals.

During the holiday season, disruptions are more likely to occur because airlines and airports operate more flights than usual and the larger crowds can lead to a “domino effect” of problems, experts say.

One example: if a flight is 15 minutes late leaving a gate, that can affect air traffic flow for an entire terminal, Berg said.

But the “biggest risks” are usually bad weather and technical malfunctions, he said.

Here are four key things to consider:

• Avoid flying on peak days. For example, around Thanksgiving, avoid the Sundays before and after the holiday, experts say. In recent years, the Sunday after Thanksgiving has set records for the busiest day to fly, or the number of travelers passing through TSA checkpoints, French said.

• Take the first flight of the day. Try to book one of the first flights of the day to avoid being affected by delays and cancellations, Berg said. You’re twice as likely to be affected by flight delays or cancellations after 8 a.m., he said.

• Allow time for delays and cancellations. If it’s critical for you to be at your destination, “bake in extra time to get there” and travel a few days early, French said. “If it’s really important to be there for the actual Christmas dinner, fly in a few days early,” he said.

• Broaden your search. It can be helpful to know what other airports are nearby, French said. If you know other airports, it can help you find more affordable options. It could end up being a longer route to get to your destination, but it might make sense if it’s critical to get there, he said.