Holiday Cheap Flights Report 2021

How Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Flights are Trending

Thanksgiving Airfare Trend by Day

Expected Airfare Fluctuations by Purchase Month

We track 11,000 airfares for flights during the holiday season every day. From this data, we identify the average fare for the most popular markets to bring you the Holiday Flights Report.

Christmas Airfare Trend by Day

Expected Airfare Fluctuations by Purchase Month

We track 11,000 airfares for flights during the holiday season every day. From this data, we identify the average fare for the most popular markets to bring you the Holiday Flights Report.

As travel continues to recover and more Americans feel safe to travel, all projections signal a very busy holiday season for 2021.

CheapAir’s Holiday Flights Report helps you make decisions about holiday airfare. Our simple color-coded calendars and charts will lend a hand so you can identify the best days to purchase your airfare at the lowest prices.

This year airfares are trending almost 10% less than 2019 prices, but about 13% more than last year. This is important, because though the fares are slightly more expensive than last year, prices were 20% cheaper than normal in 2021 – a precipitous drop in holiday airfare just doesn’t usually happen. We have the pandemic to thank for that. But in context, we’re still seeing lower prices on average than we might have expected, and a lot of great value days for travelers.

Don’t wait until prices go up. Demand will almost certainly be greater than available flights this year. We recommend buying early.

Best days to fly for the Holidays

Thanksgiving Calendar

Nov 2021
  • Sun
  • Mon
  • Tue
  • Wed
  • Thu
  • Fri
  • Sat
  • 31
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Deepest Discounts
  • Good Value
  • A Little Pricey
  • Highest Fares
  • Nov 24 As tends to be the case, Tuesday and Wednesday are great value travel days if you want to save some money.
  • Nov 25 Travel on Thanksgiving is a great value, especially on shorter flights that can get you to your destination in time for dinner. Flying on Thursday can save you $25/ticket compared to the next cheapest travel day.
  • Nov 28 No big surprise here. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is historically one of the most expensive travel days of the year. You can save $90/ticket on average if you can fly home on Monday, and a whopping $180/ticket on average if you can push it to Tuesday.
  • Nov 30 The cheapest day to fly over Thanksgiving week (for the second year in a row) is the Tuesday after the holiday. The difference between flying home on Sunday and Tuesday is close to $200 on average.

Christmas Calendar

Dec 2021 - Jan 2022
  • Sun
  • Mon
  • Tue
  • Wed
  • Thu
  • Fri
  • Sat
  • 28
  • 39
  • 30
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • Deepest Discounts
  • Good Value
  • A Little Pricey
  • Highest Fares
  • Dec 24 Christmas Eve is usually pretty pricey as departure dates go. This year, the night before Christmas has some of the best savings of the week!
  • Dec 26 Flying home the Sunday after Christmas is going to be the most expensive option this holiday season. You can save over $125/ticket on average by waiting two extra days and flying home on Tuesday.
  • Jan 1 New Year’s Day falls on Saturday this year and offers good value for the money. In fact, if you’re planning a NYE getaway, you can save by flying on the 29th, 30th, 31st and 1st!
  • Jan 4 Usually the Monday after New Year’s offers some deep flight discounts, but this year you have to wait until to get the deep flight discounts. Fly home on Tuesday and save about $85/ticket on average.
Search Holiday Flights

Holiday Travel News and Updates from CheapAir Experts

Tips for Booking Cheap Flights for the Holidays

  1. Book earlier than usual for the holidays. Prices will continue to rise as flights get more and more full.
  2. Be flexible with your travel days. Sometimes flying a day earlier or later can make a huge difference.
  3. Try mixing and matching airlines to get the cheapest flights or best schedules.
  4. Check alternate airports. Sometimes, you’ll find big savings that way.
  5. Be realistic. Prices for holiday travel are almost always more expensive than for other times of the year.
  6. When you find a good fare, be ready to buy. There are often only a handful of seats available at the best rates and they get snapped up quickly.
  7. Pay baggage fees in advance and factor them into your travel budget.
  8. Use CheapAir.com Price Drop Payback: Buy now and if your airfare drops later, you can receive up to a $100 credit back!