Best & Worst Days to Fly, Drive, & Travel for the Holidays – Christmas & New Year’s 2024

Best & Worst Days to Fly for the Holidays in 2024

Being on a Thursday every year, the best and worst days to fly for Thanksgiving are predictable. Christmas is a little more difficult since it does not fall on the same day of the week every year. Here are the days you should target and the days you should avoid this holiday season.

To come up with our best and worst dates forecast, we sampled hundreds of flight prices around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our sample included numerous departure and arrival cities around the United States. Additionally, we researched TSA data from previous years where Christmas has fallen on the same day of the week.

Christmas (best departure and return dates)

Our 2024 Christmas Travel Survey shows 45.01% of American adults intend to travel to a vacation destination or gathering.

Since Christmas falls on a different day every year, the best days to fly change. Other things such as school and business closures affect the dates too. Christmas can fall on a weekend, which further complicates things. Generally, the worst day to fly for Christmas is December 23, but that is not a hard rule.

The earlier you depart the week before Christmas the better. If possible, fly on Tuesday, December 17, Wednesday, December 18 or Thursday, December 19. Flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is ideal for cheaper prices and fewer crowds too, but you may not want to travel on a holiday.

Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, so many people will fly home the day after. Thursday, December 26 and Friday, December 27 will be popular travel days, so try and wait until Saturday, December 28 or Monday, December 30 to head home. Based on previous years, Sunday, December 29 is likely to be a busy travel day, so you should avoid it.

The four days before Christmas Eve, the 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, are going to be busy travel days. I recommend avoiding them and departing earlier in the week if you can.

Avoid the Thursday and Friday after Christmas for your return flight; Many people look to get home as quickly as possible after Christmas. Additionally, data from previous years when Christmas has fallen on a Wednesday indicate Sunday, December 29 will be a busy travel day.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Travel Tips

Best Dates to Fly:

• Saturday, December 28
• Monday, December 30
• Tuesday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve – Specifically at Night)
• Wednesday, January 1 (New Year’s Day – In the Morning)
• Saturday, January 4, 2025

Worst Dates to Fly:

• Sunday, December 29
• Thursday, January 2, 2025
• Friday, January 3, 2025

We recommend flying out for New Year’s on Saturday, December 28, or Monday, December 30 because Sunday, December 29 is traditionally a busy day to fly. While it is not ideal, flying out on the night of New Year’s Eve or the morning of New Year’s Day is generally cheap. Unfortunately, you will probably miss New Year’s Eve activities if you opt for an evening flight. An early New Year’s Day flight is not optimal either unless you can go bed very early on New Year’s Eve.

Fly home on Saturday, January 4 because Thursday, January 2 and Friday, January 3 are likely to be much busier.

How Far in Advance to Book 2024 Holiday Travel

Ideally, you should book your Thanksgiving and Christmas flights many months in advance. As a rule, we suggest booking domestic flights at least one to three months in advance. For international flights, you should book at least two to eight months in advance, but the earlier the better. For the holidays, you should book even earlier if possible to guarantee a desirable route, time, seat, and price.

Thanksgiving (book before Halloween)

I recommend booking your Thanksgiving flight by late August or early September for the best price. If possible, book in June or July. Book international flights even earlier. If you wait too long, you should aim to book by Halloween at the latest. While it is possible to get a decent deal after Halloween, your chances dramatically decrease. Your odds of finding a desirable flight time also go down when booking after Halloween. Here is a ranking of our recommended times.

• June, July, and August – Best combination of inventory and cheap prices
• Early through Middle September – Still a great time
• Early October – Deals are still available but desirable flights may be limited
• Halloween – Book Thanksgiving flights by Halloween at the latest
• November – High prices and poor flights (connections, middle seats, bad times, etc.)

Further Reading: When to Book Thanksgiving Flights – Best & Worst Times

Christmas (book before Thanksgiving)

The best deals on Christmas flights are usually available through late August and early September. If possible, book even earlier in June or July. At the latest, you should book by Thanksgiving, but the earlier the better. If it is December and you still do not have a flight, you should expect to pay a premium. Additionally, you will likely only have undesirable flight times to choose from with the potential for one or more connections. Here is a ranking of our recommended booking times.

• June, July, and August – Best combination of inventory and cheap prices
• Early through Middle September – Still a great time
• Early October – Google’s recommendation. Cheap prices but lower inventory
• Thanksgiving – Book Christmas flights by Thanksgiving at the latest
• December – High prices and poor flights (connections, middle seats, bad times, etc.)

Further Reading: When to Book Christmas Flights – Best & Worst Times

Average Holiday Flight Prices for 2024 – Thanksgiving ($300) and Christmas ($400)

With November here, flight prices are increasing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Expect to pay on average $300 for a roundtrip Flight for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, expect to pay on average $400 for a roundtrip flight.

Those prices will vary by your destination and dates of travel, so we recommend doing your homework before booking. If possible, travel on our recommended days and avoid the worst days.

We’ve found many domestic Thanksgiving and Christmas flights for under $200. We’ve also found various international Thanksgiving and Christmas flights for under $500.

Flexibility is the key to finding the absolute cheapest holiday flights. Use the Google Flights Explore map to find the best flight deals from your home airport or city around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Air Travel is Setting Records for the 2024 Holiday Season

On most days, hundreds of thousands more travelers are going through TSA checkpoints compared to the same day as last year. For 2024, we expect holiday travel numbers to increase from 2023 figures.

Further Reading: What to Do if Your Airline Cancels or Delays Your Flight and How to Avoid Airline Flight Delays & Cancellations

Other Tips For Scoring a Cheap Holiday Flight Deal

Check out our guide to finding and booking cheap flights for additional tips. A few of the major tips may not be applicable with holiday travel (being very flexible on dates and destinations), but other guidelines can help. Here are a few of them.

• Do: Start With Google Flights
• Do: Be Open to Different Nearby Departure and Arrival Airports
• Do: Be Open to All Airlines
• Do: Be Open to Flights With Connections
• Don’t: Waste Your Time Clearing Cookies
• Don’t: Waste Your Time Browsing in Incognito

Additionally, our best websites to book cheap flights guide and top airline credit cards tutorial can help you save even more money.

Further Reading: Clearing Cookies or Searching Incognito Does Not Show Cheaper Flight Prices

Thanksgiving (best departure and return dates)

Our 2024 Thanksgiving Travel Survey shows 50.96% of American adults (which is 132 million people) intend to travel to a vacation destination or holiday gathering last year. That means tens of millions of people will fight over seats for a very limited number of flights.

As the table shows, you want to depart early during the week. If possible, Sunday is even better than Monday. While not ideal, Thanksgiving Day is a great day to fly. Black Friday is also a good day to fly if you can swing a shorter trip.

Most people return home the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so aim to fly back on Black Friday or the Monday after Turkey Day. If you can wait another day, Tuesday is even better than Monday.

Avoid the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at all costs. It is one of the most popular days of the year to fly, so it is very busy and expensive. Additionally, airports are always packed, so it is an extra stressful experience.

Avoid the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving for your return flight. Most people fly that day to get home before the workweek. I recommend flying home on Black Friday or the Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

Ideally, you have already booked your 2024 holiday travel. If you have not done so already, there is still time to get a deal, but you need to move quickly. Shoot for the dates discussed in the article and avoid the bad ones. After the holidays are over, follow our best days of the week to fly and our best day of the week to book flights guides.