Trend Watch: Thanksgiving Fares

Always on the lookout for value-oriented travel, Senior Editor Patricia Magaña has trekked throughout the States, Latin America, and Europe. Follow her on Instagram @PatiTravels.

Since joining the editorial crew in 2005, Magaña has pounced on incredible deals to Amsterdam, Madrid, and San Pedro Sula—each for less than $300. Her favorite travel experiences involve discovering street art while meandering a city, chatting up locals, and day drinking.

Her stories have appeared on USA Today, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, TripAdvisor, AirfareWatchdog, and other publications.

Email Patricia at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Patricia Magaña

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Don’t let Santa be the only one visiting your family this year. Read our Christmas fare tracking coverage here.

It’s not even Halloween yet and Thanksgiving flights are already on our minds. Start your planning now so you won’t be left heating a TV dinner in front of the boob tube.

We’re tracking holiday fares again this year, and with over a month’s data to analyze, it’s clear that while you may still have a little leeway to scout, fares are already beginning to creep up.

Thanksgiving Flights on an Upward Trend

We’ve charted Thanksgiving fares on popular routes around the U.S. (fares are the same in reverse order) for a look at how prices are trending. Year-over-year, prices are about the same, but we’re already seeing a fare price rise since last month, and it’s likely fares will begin to spike upward as the holiday approaches. So even if you’re not quite ready to book, it’s definitely time to start tracking prices to your destination so you don’t miss the decent-fare window.

Holiday Booking Strategies

Here are more tips for nailing down some solid savings for your holiday fare:

Begin benchmarking fares as early as possible so you’ll know a good price when you see it. If you haven’t already started, don’t delay.
Steer clear of peak travel days such as the day before Thanksgiving and the last day of the holiday’s weekend.
Be in the know when sales come out: The sale match generally gets lit by one of the low-cost carriers on Tuesday, and by the following morning, competitors have jumped into the fray and created what we call a full-out fare war.
Be flexible and check fares from nearby airports as well.
Check out our previous installment on holiday airfare searches.

Your Turn

We’ll keep you up-to-date on holiday airfare fluctuations in the subsequent installments of this monthly blog. Have you already booked your holiday flights? Are you expecting to pay much more than last year’s voyage home?

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