The Four 'Secret' Holiday Travel Days When Air Travel Is Calmer And Cheaper

Imagine what you'll be doing on the morning of December 25. Perhaps it's opening gifts by the tree, maybe it's enjoying a holiday brunch with family, but it's probably not fastening your seatbelt and preparing for takeoff. According to travel experts and years of data from the TSA, however, Christmas Day is one of the best days of the year to fly. In fact, it's one of four holidays throughout the year when air travel is calmer and cheaper. 

Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day are the big four, said Scott Keyes of travel site Going.com in an interview with NPR. "You just see far fewer people traveling then," he explained. "And with fewer people, you can see lower fares and fewer disruptions." The contrast between flying on the holiday itself, instead of the days around it, is significant. Thanks to steep airfares, overbooked planes, and long lines at security, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is considered one of the worst days to travel, and AAA projects that even more people — an estimated 1.6 million more — will travel at least 50 miles away from home (by either car or plane) for Thanksgiving in 2025. 

A recent report from NerdWallet issued a similar warning about Christmas this year. The Friday before the holiday is "consistently the worst day to fly," per the article. A staggering 2.8 million people passed through TSA checkpoints at U.S. airports on that day last year. And as with Thanksgiving, greater numbers of people are expected to travel at the end of the calendar year.

According to AAA's year-end forecast, about 3 million more people than last year will likely travel between Saturday, December 21, and Wednesday, January 1. "This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we're anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday," said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel, in AAA's forecast article. 

Even if you're braving the pre-Christmas crowds to get to your destination in time for the holiday, you might consider returning on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day to save time, money, and sanity. Those who can't imagine flying on December 25 could compromise and fly on December 24, which is the second-most-calm option, per NerdWallet. 

It's also important to remember, apart from specific traditions that vary between families and social groups, that the holidays remain festive even after key dates (which are also the quietest days to fly) have passed. The New York City Ballet is staging "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker" through January 3, 2026, while the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be on grand display through mid-January, just to name a few examples in the U.S. If you're lucky enough to be flying internationally, note that some of the best Christmas markets across Europe stay open through January. If you're still narrowing down your big European Christmas trip, you should find out why Rick Steves chose Norway, France, and England as the three countries with Europe's best Christmas traditions to explore.