The Best Time To Buy Airline Tickets For Thanksgiving And Christmas Travel

Many people attempt to save their sanity by avoiding flights on the worst travel days of the year, including the days around Thanksgiving. But holiday travel remains a non-negotiable for many who can't imagine feasting on turkey (or opening presents) in the absence of faraway loved ones. So when is the best time to purchase tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel? The short answer is this: early October, especially when it comes to Thanksgiving.

A report from Google Flights offered key data points to back up the advice. According to 2024 travel trends, domestic airfares for travel around Thanksgiving hit their lowest ranges around 45 days before travel. Thanksgiving this year is on November 27, so early October is the sweet spot for snapping up flight reservations. The report also notes that you can generally find lower prices from 26 to 59 days before the trip. 

If you're considering a trip abroad, Thanksgiving is a surprisingly affordable time to fly. "For airlines, it's a feast-time domestically and a famine-time internationally," says Scott Keyes, founder of the travel site Going.com, per the site's Thanksgiving Travel Guide. "What do airlines do to fill all those planes flying to Paris and Cancún and Barcelona? Simple: Slash the fare." Just keep in mind that according to statistics provided by the Transportation Security Administration and reported by NerdWallet, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest (and therefore worst) days to fly, so if you have any flexibility on your return date, it's a good idea to exercise it. 

Air travel around Christmas is a slightly different story. As Keyes points out in another holiday travel report for Going.com, the weeks around Christmas and New Year's — roughly December 17 to January 7 — are the most expensive times for air travel in the entire calendar year. 

Still, pricing trends follow a similar pattern to those around Thanksgiving. The Google Flights report indicates that travelers are most likely to find the lowest airfares about two months before their desired date of departure — 58 days, to be exact. Depending on your plans, if you're looking to save on airfare for travel around Christmas, you should look to buy tickets in the latter half of October. Anywhere between 36 and 72 days ahead of Christmas-related travel, the data shows, consumers are more likely to see lower price ranges. 

A few more tips: if you're willing to fly on December 24 or 25 (Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), you'll likely lock in a lower price and see far fewer crowds. Generally speaking, Tuesday is the best day to book your flight for cheaper travel, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are more affordable days to fly than Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And if you'd rather forgo holiday celebrations altogether and just enjoy a travel adventure at that time of year, consider jetting off to Bangkok, Marrakech, or one of the many other vacation destinations that don't celebrate Christmas.