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Cheaper to fly at Thanksgiving than Christmas, Priceline claims
Published: 11/9/2012 3:49 PM
Last Modified: 11/9/2012 3:49 PM




When I go home for the holidays, I typically drive. But many of my friends and family fly.

That in mind, Priceline just shared information about holiday traveling, revealing that Thanksgiving is a bit cheaper than Christmas when it comes to air travel.

Priceline.com's travel "Ekspert," Brian Ek, suggested that travelers who can't afford to fly for both Thanksgiving and the December holidays will be better off heading home for Turkey Day, at least according to the latest batch of airfare data from Priceline.com.

Based on the last two weeks of round-trip domestic ticket sales, the national average Thanksgiving airfare is $420, or right where it was last year at this time. Meanwhile, the national average airfare for the December holidays is up 3 percent, to $444.

If you heeded Priceline's advice back in October and booked early, pat yourself on the back, Brian said. In early October, the national average Thanksgiving fare was just $393, while the average December holiday airfare was $430.

"Holiday airfare trends are playing out pretty much as expected," Brian said. "Flight reductions have reduced the number of available seats and that, coupled with holiday travel demand, is enabling fares to creep upward. The good news is that Thanksgiving airfares are back to running about flat with last year so, if you can only travel for one end-of-year holiday, that's probably the one to pick."

Every year, Priceline.com publishes a continuously updating Best Days to Fly calendar, showing the days when travelers are most likely to find affordable fares. The calendar can be found by clicking here.

According to Priceline, here are the most affordable travel days -- at the moment, anyway -- for the upcoming holidays:

- The most affordable days to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday are Nov. 19, 20, 23 and 27.

- The most affordable days to fly over the Christmas holidays are Dec. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 29, 31, and Jan. 1 and 2.

Ek also had some additional tips to help find cheaper airfare and keep those travel costs down after the airfare is booked:

- Pick times of the day that are normally less busy. Time of day is important. Travelers will find the most affordable seats departing early in the morning (5-7 a.m.) or late evening (after 8 p.m.). Mid-day (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) is a bit more expensive but still reasonable. Most expensive are the peak business travel hours (8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.).

- You can try Priceline's Name Your Own Price airline tickets service. Travelers must agree to begin their trips anytime between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and there may be up to one connection each way.

- Send those presents on ahead. You see presents, but the airlines see extra baggage and maybe some extra fees. Not to mention how unhappy the security screeners will be to see those wrapped boxes. Save yourself the hassle by mailing or shipping presents in advance (after you've wrapped them, of course).

- Weigh and measure your baggage. Check your airline's maximum requirements for checked and carry-on bags to make sure you won't incur extra fees. Note: Baggage fees are charged separately for your outbound and return flights.

Peace, love and holiday flying ... XOXO


Reader Comments 1 Total
DomoArrigato (3 months ago)
Stay home and Skype 'em....
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Living Wright

While other kids were watching "The Smurfs," Scene Writer Jason Ashley Wright was tuned in to "Style with Elsa Klensch." By fourth grade, he knew he wanted to write, and spent almost three years publishing a weekly teen-oriented magazine, Teen-Zine -- circulation: 2. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, he became the medical reporter and teen board coordinator for the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, a Gannett newspaper. Eight months later, with visions of Elsa dancing in his head, he applied for the fashion writer position at the Tulsa World, where he began working on Aug. 3, 1998. He is now a general assignment reporter for Scene.

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