Tips for booking cheap holiday flights

No, those aren’t sleigh bells ringing. It’s an alarm telling you it’s time to lock in your holiday flights.

If you’re looking for cheap airfare from Thanksgiving through winter festivities, prepare for battle. The holidays are the busiest time of year for American fliers, and tickets are priced accordingly. This year could be even trickier.

"For the first time since March 2023, domestic airfare is actually higher than it was a year ago," said airfare expert Scott Keyes, founder of Going.

To prepare yourself for the uphill battle, we’ve gathered our best flight-booking tips, including a post-purchase hack our team swears by.

When the best airfare may pop up

Keyes says the absolute best time to book peak season flights is the opposite season (like how winter coats are on sale during the summer). The second-best time? Right now.

According to Google’s 2024 analysis of travel trends, which assesses airfare based on four years of Google Flights data, the best prices for Thanksgiving flights should appear 26 to 59 days before your departure date. That means you may still have a chance of getting a good deal through the first days of November.

For Christmas travel, Google data recommends booking sometime in the second half of October. The lowest prices are expected within 36 to 72 days out from your departure date.

Even with the data, Keyes says it’s not an exact science. Instead of waiting for an exact date, the best approach is thinking of deals in probabilities. Every day there’s some percent chance of a cheap flight popping up. Those odds are better — but not guaranteed — during the Goldilocks window, the period when cheap fares are most likely to arise.

The cheapest flights come with a catch

Google Flights recently released a new update that allows airfare hunters to filter their search through a "cheapest" tab. But be warned: as the company pointed out in a press release, this filter can lead to some "creative" itineraries, including longer layovers and self-transfers between different airlines (one leg of the trip may be on JetBlue, the other on Delta, for example).

Set up price alerts ASAP

If you’re not quite ready to book today, set up price alerts to watch for the best airfare. These helpful tools use algorithms to track specific flights, routes and dates based on your preferences, then notify you as the price changes.

You can make the search very specific (a round-trip nonstop on United from Baltimore to Denver on Nov. 24) or broader if your plans are flexible (a one-way trip to Denver from the D.C. area).

Here are tips for setting up these alerts.

Book with delays in mind

Packed planes, unpredictable weather — flying over the holidays can be fraught with challenges. Los Angeles-based travel planner Brooke Tuchman says her clients are preparing for the worst.

"They are building a little more padding into their schedule to try to avoid a situation in which some flight disruption derails their trip," she said.

Follow their lead, opting for longer layovers or flying in a day earlier for any ultra-important commitments.

Experts also recommended booking flights early in the day, booking directly through an airline rather than a third-party service and booking flights with frequent-flier miles for added protection.

Skip the turkey and go abroad

How flexible is your family? Thanksgiving is one of the most expensive times to fly domestic, but it’s also one of the cheapest times to fly abroad, Keyes says. Since demand during this period is hugely focused on domestic flights, trans-Atlantic ones are often far less expensive.

Keyes says this tip is even more pertinent this year. While prices are up all around for domestic flights, "internationally, airfare’s still lower than it was in 2023," he said. Flights to continental Europe are down 1%, 4% for Latin America and the Caribbean, and 10 percent for Asia.

"Even for relatively last-minute travel in November, December, you’re going to see more deals for overseas flights," Keyes said.

Stalk prices after you book

For those really looking to save, keep watching airfare even after you booked. If you spot a cheaper flight, cancel your original booking, get a travel credit, rebook and bank the savings. This won’t work if you’re locked in on a Basic Economy ticket and your airline doesn’t have change fees.

Google has a tool for this, too: If you buy a "price-guaranteed" ticket through Google Flights and the airfare drops between your purchase and takeoff, the company will pay you the difference within 48 hours after departure of your first flight. Prices are tracked from the time you book until your departure. Read up on the technicalities here.

Know your rights for cancellations and disruptions

If you do get hit with a schedule snafu on your travel day, new federal rules for airlines should be in effect by the holidays that will make it easier to get a refund.

In the meantime, airlines still may owe you for an airline cancellation or delay. Check the Transportation Department’s online dashboard to see what airlines promise travelers experiencing disruptions within the airline’s control, such as mechanical issues.

If you’re bumped from a busy flight, you’re entitled to compensation if you didn’t volunteer to give up your seat (although there are some caveats).

For canceled or significantly delayed flights — when you don’t like your rebooking options — you’re entitled to a refund for itineraries arriving in or departing from the United States. Before you take the cash, remember that getting your money back and looking for a new flight elsewhere might leave you scrambling for more expensive last-minute airfare — if you can find a new flight at all. You may just want to reschedule your flight with the airline instead of going for the refund.

There’s also no harm in trying your luck asking for a meal voucher or hotel room for the night. There are no laws requiring U.S. airlines to provide hotels, meal vouchers or other services beyond the cost of the flight, but some will still provide such courtesies on request. Ask in person at the airport, rather than over the phone or online.