Google says now is your best time to snag cheap flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas
As anyone who travels frequently knows, airfare costs around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays can be significantly higher than those for the same route at other times of the year. It’s little surprise why: the year-end holiday period sees millions traveling to visit family and friends, creating demand for flights; the more demand, the more airlines can charge. The good news, according to…
Google advises that now is the optimal time to search for affordable Thanksgiving and Christmas flights. The travel experts at Google Flights, a popular flight aggregator and comparison tool, have released guidelines on when to purchase airfare for these holidays.
For Thanksgiving flights in 2026, the ideal window to secure the lowest prices is between September 30 and November 5. This 21 to 57 day period prior to departure typically offers the most economical fares. The lowest prices are generally observed around October 23, which is 34 days before departure. If your Thanksgiving flight is on Thanksgiving Day (November 26), you can expect fares to be cheapest between September 30 and November 5.
Christmas flights, on the other hand, have a longer optimal purchase window, stretching from 33 to 67 days before departure. For Christmas morning flights in 2026, the best prices are expected between October 19 and November 22. If you plan to fly on Christmas Day, the most economical fares are anticipated to appear on October 30.
Despite the existence of popular airfare hacks like using VPNs, purchasing on Tuesdays, or clearing browser cookies, these methods are unlikely to substantially reduce fares. Google Flights' James Byers, a group product manager at Google Search, confirmed that these tactics have little to no impact on airfare prices. The optimal strategy, as advised by Google, is to act swiftly when purchasing Thanksgiving and Christmas flights to secure the best possible rates.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
