Thanksgiving flights average about $402 and Christmas flights about $452 in 2026, a 10-year high driven by near-record jet fuel prices. Here’s when to book, which days to fly and how to save.
Thanksgiving flights average about $402 and Christmas flights about $452 in 2026, a 10-year high driven by near-record jet fuel prices. Here’s when to book, which days to fly and how to save.
Stacey
Holiday flights in 2026 are the most expensive they’ve been in about a decade. According to travel app Hopper, a domestic round-trip over Thanksgiving now averages about $402, up 31% from last year, and a Christmas round-trip averages about $452, up 23%. The main driver is jet fuel, which is close to a record high. The good news is that a few smart moves, like booking before Halloween and avoiding a handful of peak days, can still save you real money.
Here’s what’s pushing fares up, which days to fly and which to avoid, and how to keep your holiday trip from blowing up your budget.
Fuel is one of an airline’s biggest costs. Industry analysts say jet fuel typically makes up as much as 30% of an airline’s operating costs, CBS News reports. When that cost doubles, ticket prices follow.
And it has roughly doubled. The average price of jet fuel in the U.S. topped $4.75 per gallon this week, according to the tracking firm Argus, which is close to an all-time high and almost twice what it was a year ago, NPR reported on October 23.
The spike traces back to the conflict involving Iran, which has choked oil flows from the Middle East. Citing the International Air Transport Association (IATA), CBS News notes that jet fuel averaged about $99 a barrel globally before the war began in late February, peaked at $209 in April, and was still around $195 a barrel in mid-September. To cover the difference, airlines have raised fares, added passenger surcharges and cut some routes.
“Airfares right now are at what we see as a 10-year high because of the high cost of jet fuel,” Hopper lead economist Hayley Berg told NPR. “Airlines have to pass on these super high jet fuel prices in the form of higher fares to consumers.”
Hotels are pricier too. Hopper’s data shows Christmas hotel stays averaging $197 a night, about 18% more than in 2025, according to CNBC Select. If you’re staying with family, that’s one cost you can dodge. If you’re not, it’s worth comparing hotels with short-term rentals, and our guide to how well-run vacation rentals operate can help you spot a good one.
Not every route is rising at the same pace. Flight deals app Going found the Midwest is seeing the biggest year-over-year jumps for Thanksgiving, while travelers flying to and from the Northeast face the most sticker shock at Christmas, The Points Guy reports. If you’re traveling this season, check out what’s new on the Starbucks holiday menu.
The clearest advice from experts this year is simple: don’t wait. Berg told CBS News that travelers should lock in fares for both Thanksgiving and Christmas before Halloween, after which she expects prices to spike. Fares aren’t expected to fall as the holidays get closer, and while oil flows from the Middle East have recovered to more than 75% of pre-war volumes, an energy analyst at Eurasia Group told CBS that crude prices will take longer to come down.
Historical data backs up the timing. Based on five years of aggregated data, Google Flights says:
Book early, but keep an eye on the fare. Most major U.S. carriers let you change a ticket after booking, and The Points Guy notes you can sometimes cancel and rebook yourself if the price falls. Avoid the cheapest basic economy fares if you want that flexibility, since those usually come with the strictest change rules. Check your airline’s policy before you buy.
When you fly matters far more than which day you hit “buy.” Google Flights found that booking on a Wednesday saves only about 1.4% compared with Sunday, but departing on a Monday and returning on a Tuesday or Wednesday saves about 14% compared with weekend flights.
If you’re heading abroad instead, Google Flights data shows international fares usually bottom out about 89 days before departure, so for winter trips overseas the advice is to book as soon as you can. Planning a European getaway? Our tips for visiting the Colosseum will help you make the most of a trip to Rome.
Despite the prices, Berg told NPR that travelers seem willing to pay for their big holiday trips. “We’re at the time of year where travel is really sticky,” she said. “Even with higher prices, travelers are unlikely to make major changes to their traditional holiday home for the holiday trips.”
That matches broader research. MMGY’s fall 2026 Portrait of American Travelers found that 35% of Americans are traveling off-peak and 32% are cutting spending elsewhere to protect their vacation budgets, Groups Today reports. And if flying just doesn’t make sense this year, hosting at home can be just as memorable; a few family board game nights go a long way.
Hopper estimates domestic round-trip Thanksgiving fares average about $402, up 31% (about $95) from last year.
Domestic round-trip Christmas fares average about $452, up 23% (about $85) from 2025, according to Hopper.
Jet fuel prices are near a record after the conflict involving Iran disrupted Middle East oil supplies. U.S. jet fuel topped $4.75 a gallon this week, almost double last year’s level, and airlines are passing that cost on through higher fares and surcharges.
Experts say no. Hopper expects fares to rise after Halloween, so booking now and watching for a price drop you can rebook into is the safer approach.
Sunday, November 29. It’s expected to be the busiest and most expensive day of the holiday, costing roughly $250 more per round trip than nearby days.
Featured image: “Departures board at Miami Airport in Florida, US” by Bobby Hidy, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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