Holiday flights are finally cheap again. FINALLY.
And not some of those fake “deals” airlines have been pushing the last couple years (where they quietly raise base fares or fuel fees and call it a sale), but actually cheap. Of course, this is happening while we’re dealing with a government shutdown and the flight delays that come with fewer air traffic controllers on the job, but hey, we’ll take what we can get right now.
In fact, it’s actually dropped to its lowest point since 2022, according to Dollar Flight Club’s new holiday travel report, with discounts hitting as high as 40% on certain routes. Domestic fares are down 19% on average compared to the past few holiday seasons and international routes are also down 9%.
Now, of course, some destinations are cheaper than others. Florida and Mexico, for example, are especially the standouts. So if you’re looking to have a sunny holiday this season, you can get to Miami for as little as $98 roundtrip from select cities. Cancun is also going for $206 roundtrip, which is down 29% from last year. If you’re flying out of Boston or Houston, you’re in especially good shape because these are the hubs that are seeing some of the steepest drops.
Even long-haul international flights are cooperating. LA and New York to Rome are showing up at $297–$401 roundtrip, which is 30% lower than what people paid in 2024. Italy and Brazil are where the value is this year if you want to go far without spending a fortune.
The one rule of thumb if you want the best deals this season is that flexibility is everything. Flying on Thanksgiving Day itself, or a day or two off from when everyone else is traveling, makes a huge difference. So does being willing to switch airports. Just that simple switch alone could save you up to 30% in savings just by driving to a different departure city or landing somewhere nearby. The report suggests swapping Paris for Rome, Aspen for Denver, Tokyo for Seoul, which if you think about it, aren’t too drastically different when you’re thinking of booking a holiday vacation.
So why is this happening? Airlines added more seats to the places people actually want to go. Florida, Mexico, and some transatlantic routes have all gotten capacity boosts. Jet fuel is cheaper than it was in 2024 and airlines would rather fill seats at lower prices than fly with empties, especially on the less popular travel days around the holidays.
But let’s be real — the real question is always “when should I book?” And for Thanksgiving, Dollar Flight Club says book domestic three to seven weeks out and international six to ten weeks out. Christmas and New Year, you’ll want four to eight weeks for domestic, and six to twelve for international.
Their report looked at 250 major holiday routes across 80+ airports and 40+ U.S. cities, so this isn’t just a handful of random deals. This is, statistically, the best holiday airfare we’ve seen in three years.
Even better? Shoulder days around peak holidays, especially for beach destinations, are being priced like regular travel days. With more competition at big hubs and cheaper jet fuel, travelers who can play around with dates or airports can snag pre-pandemic-level prices.
So, to recap, class: Florida, Mexico, Italy, and Brazil are the move this season. But don’t wait too long when it comes to booking because these windows are based on current trends, not guarantees.