Holiday airfare prices are climbing fast, and travel experts warn this is not the year to wait on booking flights for the November or December holidays.
"Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's basically what I'm looking for, and it's really expensive," said airline passenger Srinivas Grandhi, who is already feeling the impact while searching for flights.
Rising jet fuel prices are driving airfares higher than usual, prompting experts to ditch the traditional advice of waiting a month or two before the holidays to book.
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According to The Points Guy, Thanksgiving fares have been running 9% to 13% higher compared to last year. Christmas fares range from 12% to 18% higher.
WATCH as a travel expert shows how to get the cheapest flights this holiday season:
"There are some substantial price increases, but it could get a lot worse from here," said travel expert Clint Henderson, "and that's why our advice is go ahead and book now."
Finding potential flight savings
If you book a flight now and prices unexpectedly drop, you can get credit for the difference — as long as you don't book basic economy.
Booking a basic economy ticket saves money upfront, but there is typically no flexibility and no opportunity for refunds if you find a cheaper flight.
Henderson said new AI tools can track price drops automatically.
"We were trying out ones called Autopilot, pAiback, and Junova. I've been experimenting with those, and I've already saved $1,000 this year," Henderson said.
Travelers can also track prices manually using familiar comparison sites such as:
"At the very least set flight alerts on Google Flights and just monitor prices because unfortunately, we at The Points Guy believe that prices will just go up," Henderson said.
When prices are high, it might be the best time to dip into your stash of points and miles you may have saved up over time.
When to travel around the holidays
According to The Points Guy, there's no cheapest day to book a flight or find better flight deals, but when you travel does matter.
Midweek travel is generally cheaper than flying on the weekends with savings up to $100 or more around the holidays.
You can often find a better deal by flying on the actual holiday itself rather than the few days before or few days after the holiday.
Lastly, early departures can typically save you money and help you avoid cancellations and delays.
With the average airfare currently $100 higher compared to last year, travelers across the country are bracing for higher prices.
"We haven't got Christmas yet, but I can only imagine," said airline passenger Lyndsay Gunn.
So book those holiday flights, or at least monitor the prices, so you can budget accordingly and you don't waste your money.
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