Christmas flights in 2026 are the most expensive in a decade, and today — Tuesday, November 10 — is the last day of Expedia’s booking deadline for domestic Christmas trips, according to the travel data published this month.
Hopper’s 2026 Holiday Travel Index puts the average domestic round trip at $452 for Christmas, up 23%, or $85, on last year, and $402 for Thanksgiving, up 31%, according to TravelersToday and Clever Tourists. Hopper calls 2026 on track to be the most expensive holiday travel season in a decade, and attributes the jump mainly to elevated jet fuel costs linked to the conflict involving Iran. Google’s own analysis of five years of Google Flights data, published on October 5, found Christmas fares typically hit their lowest about 56 days before departure, with a good-price range running from 33 to 67 days out — a window that closes between November 16 and 21 depending on the departure day.
The deadlines have been stacking up: Hopper advised booking before Halloween, Expedia says domestic Christmas trips should be booked by November 10, and Google’s low-price range closes in mid-November. The Contrail, reporting on November 5, puts it bluntly: the cheap part of the season is now, not closer to the holiday.
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The cheapest — and dearest — days to fly
Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, which pushes the crush onto the weekend before. The most expensive departure window is Friday, December 18, to Sunday, December 20, when prices approach $500 round trip, according to Hopper via TravelersToday, with Kayak naming December 19 as the priciest domestic date and December 18 for international trips. The cheapest domestic departures are Monday, December 21, or Tuesday, December 22 — about $440 in Hopper’s data, or $469 and $466 in Kayak’s figures, roughly 18% below the peak.
Expedia’s data points to a different cheap combination: leaving on Thursday, December 24, and returning on Monday, December 28, with Saturday, December 26, the most expensive day to fly. Internationally, Kayak’s cheapest departures are December 23 and 24, at about $1,024 to $1,063, some 31% to 34% below December 18. On the return side, Sunday, December 27, runs about 20% dearer than an early-week return, and Hopper says returns before January 2 exceed $560 — while Kayak finds a domestic trip departing Saturday, January 2, can be up to 45% cheaper than December 27.
What to do if you have not booked yet
If you are flying for Christmas and have not booked, the data is unanimous: book now. Hopper expects prices to keep rising as flights fill, and Kayak’s history shows fares climbing in the final weeks. The same pattern applies to Thanksgiving, where Monday, November 23, is the cheapest departure at about $370 round trip in Hopper’s data, and flying home on Sunday, November 29, is the most expensive single choice at about $604 — roughly 72% more than returning on Monday, November 30, or Tuesday, December 1, at around $350.
Travellers should also check the fare rules before booking: the US Department of Transportation’s refund rules are the backstop if a flight is cancelled, and flexible tickets are worth the premium in a season when winter weather can disrupt even the best-planned trip.
