How to find the cheapest flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas this holiday season

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — With the chaos of the government shutdown impacting flights so close to the holidays, you might be anxious about booking a flight to visit your family, but ABC4 has a guide to help you save the most money on flying this holiday season.

Unfortunately, the best way to get good deals for the holidays is to book a couple months in advance, and if you haven’t already booked your Thanksgiving and Christmas flights this year, you’ve probably missed the cheapest window.

But, in case your plans have changed or you simply need to book a last-minute flight, here are some tips to find the best deals for the holidays.

Set up a Google Flights alert

Google Flights lets you search flights across airlines, and if your plans are flexible, it will even show you the cheapest days to fly through the date grid and price graph. It can also help you figure out when to book by telling you if prices are average, above average, or below average.

The best feature Google Flights offers is that it allows you to track prices for a trip. You can track particular routes, and you can even sign up to get notified with an email when prices drop. There is also a new AI-enhanced feature that allows you to describe your ideal trip and then Google Flights will find the best deals for you.

When to book

An analysis of Google data showed that it doesn’t really matter which day of the week you book your flight on. Prices do fluctuate throughout the week, but you won’t save much. Tuesday has been the cheapest day to book flights, but it’s only 1.3% cheaper than Sunday, the most expensive day. How far you book in advance is what actually impacts the cost.

When to fly

On the other hand, which day you actually fly does make a big difference. The cheapest days to travel are Monday through Wednesday, and the most expensive days to fly are over the weekend. Choosing to fly on weekdays can save you about 13% compared to the weekends.

Book a layover to save

Most people might prefer to fly nonstop, but if you book a flight with a layover, you can save on average 22%, according to Google data. If you’re flying on a budget and you have the time, it can save you a lot of money.

Consider a destination holiday

If you can get your family to agree to a destination holiday, or if you’re not visiting family, consider visiting some less popular cities for the holidays.

Google data showed that some of the most popular domestic destinations for Thanksgiving this year are mid-sized cities like Columbia, SC and Detroit, MI. For high-demand destinations, ticket prices tend to be higher, so you might save money by not visiting your hometown and going somewhere else. You can find those cheaper destinations using the Google Flights explore map.

International destinations have been trending for Christmas this year, especially to warm climates like Belize and Aruba, so keep that in mind if you’re wanting to get out of the country or to escape the cold.

For next year: Best time to book holiday flights

According to an analysis of data from Google, the cheapest prices for Thanksgiving can be found 35 days before departure. The lowest price range is from 24-59 days prior to departure, so you’ll probably find the cheapest flights for Thanksgiving in October.

You need to book Christmas flights even further ahead for the cheapest options. Google data shows the lowest prices 51 days before departure, with the low-price range being 24-59 days prior to the flight. With that in mind, you’ll probably find the cheapest flights for Christmas in mid-October to mid-November.