Airfare pricing is almost entirely based on supply and demand. When no one is traveling, airlines lower their prices to boost demand and fill seats. But when everyone is clamoring for a flight and supply tightens up, airlines can afford to raise prices and boost their profits, sometimes dramatically. This is why it always costs so much to fly at peak times, like over holidays.
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According to a recent study by Alaska Airlines, the single-busiest air travel day of 2025 is expected to be Dec. 1. Armed with this knowledge, what can you do to avoid overpaying for your vacations? Below are some tips.
Also plan ahead: here are the cheapest travel spots for 2026.
Stick To Traditional Booking Windows
Booking a flight in advance will always get you a better price than if you buy within 21 days of your departure. But there’s a caveat to this “early is better” advice. If you book too far in advance, you’re likely to miss out on price drops in the window between “too early” and “too late.” So, when exactly is this sweet spot? Here’s a breakdown provided by popular travel blog The Points Guy and flight booking site Hopper’s lead economist, Hayley Berg.
- For domestic travel: One to three months in advance
- For international travel: Three to five months in advance
- Trips to Asia and Oceania: Five to seven months in advance
Lindsay Schwimer, consumer travel expert at Hopper, suggested a more nuanced strategy for Thanksgiving and Christmas bookings. “We tell people to start monitoring in August, but our typical book-by date is mid-October, so usually around the 14th of October and no later than Halloween,” Schwimer said.
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Fly Midweek When Possible
In nearly every case, flying midweek will always be cheaper than flying on a weekend. Aviation experts may disagree about whether it’s cheaper to fly on Tuesday or Wednesday, but even Monday and Thursday trips will nearly universally be cheaper than flying on Friday or Sunday. Another trick is to fly on a Saturday. Most people don’t want to break up their weekend, so if you can swing a Saturday departure — especially coupled with a Wednesday return, according to Kayak — you can usually save a lot over flying a traditional Friday-Sunday pairing.
Avoid Peak Travel Days
The best way to get a cheap airfare is to avoid flying over Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other popular holidays, like New Year’s Eve and Memorial Day. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. The reason planes are full and prices are high during these times is because they are when everyone wants to travel. But even within these high-impact windows, there are some days that are cheaper than others. If you’re able to fly on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, for example, you’ll likely find cheaper flights than the days around those holidays.
Tools like Google Flights are immensely helpful at times like these. Flight search engines can show you the range of flight prices on and around peak holidays, and you can use this data to pick the cheapest possible time to fly. You shouldn’t expect to snag a “deal” when flying over the holidays, but shopping around and being as flexible as you can should result in at least slightly lower prices.
Plan Ahead and Be Flexible
When it comes to scoring the best airfare, planning ahead and being flexible are the two keys. When you plan ahead, you can avoid paying last-minute prices, which are always the highest. Moving your flight dates by even a day or two in either direction can often save you tens or even hundreds of dollars. And be sure to avoid Dec. 1 in 2025, the day when Alaska Airlines says airports and planes will be at their fullest.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: This Date Is the Single Busiest Travel Day of the Year, 4 Ways To Avoid Overpaying
