Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 this year, and the numbers are rough. Hopper's 2026 holiday index puts the average domestic round-trip at $402, up 31% on last year and the highest in ten years. That's the average. Popular routes out of New York and Chicago are running well above it.
None of this means you're stuck paying $600 to see your family. Most of that average comes from people flying on the two worst days of the year and booking at the worst time. Fix both and you can still land a fare in the $200s on plenty of routes.
Timing matters most right now. Google Flights published its holiday booking analysis on October 5, and it puts the cheapest domestic Thanksgiving fares at around 34 days before departure. For a Monday, November 23 flight, that's roughly October 20 to 23. Hopper's advice lines up: book before Halloween.
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Cheap Thanksgiving Flights 2026: Book Before Halloween
Fares are at a 10-year high. Fly Monday, come home Tuesday, and skip the Sunday crush.
About these prices: All price ranges shown are indicative, based on typical fares seen on Aviasales for each route. Actual prices change daily depending on date, availability and how far ahead you book. Always search for live prices using the tool below — it pulls real-time data directly from Aviasales.
Thanksgiving 2026 fares are the highest in a decade
The cheapest days to fly for Thanksgiving
Leave Monday, November 23. Hopper has it as the cheapest outbound day this year, averaging about $370 round-trip against well over $400 for the Tuesday and Wednesday before. Take the extra day off if you can. A day of PTO is cheaper than the fare difference for a family of three.
Come home Monday or Tuesday, November 30 or December 1. Returns on those days average around $350. Fly back on Sunday, November 29 and the average jumps to roughly $604. That one day is the biggest saving in this whole post, and it's the one most people ignore.
Thanksgiving Day itself is the other trick. Morning flights on Thursday are often half-empty and priced to match. You'll land in time for dinner on most domestic routes if you're on a 6am or 7am departure. Not glamorous, but it works.
Wednesday, November 25 is the day to avoid at all costs. TSA regularly screens close to 3 million people that day. Highest fares, longest lines, and any weather delay ripples across the whole country by the afternoon.
Come home Monday or Tuesday, November 30 or December 1. Returns on those days average around $350. Fly back on Sunday, November 29 and the average jumps to roughly $604. That one day is the biggest saving in this whole post, and it's the one most people ignore.
Thanksgiving Day itself is the other trick. Morning flights on Thursday are often half-empty and priced to match. You'll land in time for dinner on most domestic routes if you're on a 6am or 7am departure. Not glamorous, but it works.
Wednesday, November 25 is the day to avoid at all costs. TSA regularly screens close to 3 million people that day. Highest fares, longest lines, and any weather delay ripples across the whole country by the afternoon.
See live prices now — fares change daily. Search real-time results from Aviasales.
Search flightsRoutes and real prices worth checking now
New York JFK to Los Angeles from about $289 round-trip on JetBlue if you book this month and fly the Monday-to-Tuesday pattern. Leave it until November and the same seats are typically $450 or more. Newark on United is worth a look too, since it sometimes undercuts JFK by $40 to $60 on West Coast routes.
Chicago to Miami from around $219 round-trip on American from O'Hare on off-peak days. Southwest from Midway is often close to that, and you get two free checked bags, which matters when you're hauling gifts or a pie dish home.
Dallas-Fort Worth to Denver from about $149 round-trip on Frontier is one of the cheapest holiday routes in the country. Read the fine print, though. A carry-on and seat selection can add $80 or more each way on Frontier, so price the full trip before you celebrate.
Atlanta to New York LaGuardia from around $198 round-trip on Delta if you skip Wednesday and Sunday. Atlanta is Delta's biggest hub, so there are more flights on this route than almost any other, and that keeps prices in check.
Chicago to Miami from around $219 round-trip on American from O'Hare on off-peak days. Southwest from Midway is often close to that, and you get two free checked bags, which matters when you're hauling gifts or a pie dish home.
Dallas-Fort Worth to Denver from about $149 round-trip on Frontier is one of the cheapest holiday routes in the country. Read the fine print, though. A carry-on and seat selection can add $80 or more each way on Frontier, so price the full trip before you celebrate.
Atlanta to New York LaGuardia from around $198 round-trip on Delta if you skip Wednesday and Sunday. Atlanta is Delta's biggest hub, so there are more flights on this route than almost any other, and that keeps prices in check.
Second airports and other ways to cut the damage
Fly from the smaller airport. Midway instead of O'Hare, Burbank or Long Beach instead of LAX, Oakland instead of SFO, Providence instead of Boston Logan. These routinely save $60 to $180 round-trip over the holiday, and security lines are far shorter on the busiest week of the year.
Take a connection on long routes. A nonstop from New York to Seattle over Thanksgiving can top $550. The same trip with a stop in Denver or Salt Lake City is often $150 cheaper. On a three-hour layover, that's $50 an hour, which is a decent rate for sitting in an airport.
Set a price alert today, not next week. Fares won't drop much from here, but they can climb fast once November starts. If you see a fare you can live with before October 23, book it. Most US airlines don't charge change fees on main cabin tickets anymore, so you can still rebook if something cheaper turns up.
Search from your home airport below and check the Monday-out, Tuesday-back dates first. It's the quickest way to see how much you'd save.
Take a connection on long routes. A nonstop from New York to Seattle over Thanksgiving can top $550. The same trip with a stop in Denver or Salt Lake City is often $150 cheaper. On a three-hour layover, that's $50 an hour, which is a decent rate for sitting in an airport.
Set a price alert today, not next week. Fares won't drop much from here, but they can climb fast once November starts. If you see a fare you can live with before October 23, book it. Most US airlines don't charge change fees on main cabin tickets anymore, so you can still rebook if something cheaper turns up.
Search from your home airport below and check the Monday-out, Tuesday-back dates first. It's the quickest way to see how much you'd save.
Search live prices now
The prices above are typical ranges — actual fares change every day. Search below for real-time prices and book securely through Aviasales, one of Europe's largest flight search engines.
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