The friendly skies along with the airports are going to be pretty crowded this holiday season. Twenty-one million Americans are expected to fly between October and December of 2014, “either for holiday festivities, to a sunny beach locale ” or attractive vacation spot, according to a news release. The booking data on Expedia.com, one of the world’s largest full service online travel sites, shows airfares are up.
It’s always a good idea to book early, because October and November are the most expensive months to buy tickets for holiday season travel. So far, domestic Thanksgiving flight fares are up a whopping 17% percent, averaging $467 this year versus $400 in 2013.There’s less of a spike in the cost of Christmas flights over last year. Flights over Christmas averaged $482 in 2013 and are averaging $493 in 2014, a 2% hike. If you have been procrastinating, you still might find some bargains.
“There are still great deals to be found. Start looking now and use smart booking tips, such as being flexible with airports and dates, and also looking at flight and hotel packages,”Expedia Senior Editor Sarah Gavin recommended in the release.
The top 10 trending destinations for Thanksgiving:
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Orlando
- Chicago
- Phoenix
- Washington, DC
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Dallas
- Denver
The busiest travel day is this holiday still Thanksgiving eve. To beat the crowds and much of the madness travel the Monday before Thanksgiving.
The top 10 trending destinations for Christmas:
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Orlando
- Denver
- Phoenix
- Fort Lauderdale
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Chicago
- Miami