Expect to pay more for your holiday flights. See how much

With fuel prices continuing to soar, booking site Hopper finds the average round-trip domestic airfare is up 31% over last year to $402 for Thanksgiving, and up 23% to $452 for Christmas.

That’s set to be a 10-year high for both.

International airfares are also more expensive, according to Hopper’s 2026 Holiday Travel Index, but there are still ways to save on flights.

Average airfare by region for Thanksgiving

• Canada: $395, up 16%

• Caribbean: $511, up 17%

• Mexico and Central America: $628, up 32%

• Europe: $757, up 28%

• South America: $811, up 27%

• Africa and Middle East: $1,097, up 16%

• Asia: $1,121, up 17%

• Oceania: $1,449, up 10%

Average airfare by region for Christmas

• Canada: $520, up 13%

• Caribbean: $881, up 29%

• Mexico and Central America: $936, up 23%

• Europe: $1,000, up 15%

• South America: $1,303, up 22%

• Africa and Middle East: $1,604, down 0.6%

• Asia: $1,754, down 1%

• Oceania: $2,015, down nearly 4%

When to book holiday travel

For Thanksgiving, Expedia’s Holiday Travel Outlook suggests booking domestic flights by Nov. 5 and Oct. 15 for international.

Travelers are advised to book Christmas flights by Nov. 10 for domestic and Dec. 1 for international.

FlightHub's Unveiled travel trends report finds travelers who book the furthest ahead pay 23% to 30% less for flights. The report also notes Tuesdays tend to be the most popular days for bookings, but Tuesday rates aren't necessarily any cheaper.

How to get the cheapest flight deal