Holiday airfares are reaching 10-year highs this year, putting added pressure on Americans planning Thanksgiving and Christmas trips.
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airfares → reach → trips
But a travel expert says there are still ways to save.
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expert → say → ?
Hopper, a travel-booking company, published its 2026 Holiday Travel Index revealing sharp increases in airfare prices compared to last year.
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Hopper → publish → year
The report analyzed a week's worth of flight searches in September, focusing on lower-priced tickets and accounting for changes in Thanksgiving's date when comparing prices to last year.
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report → analyze → year
The data shows that domestic round-trip airfare for Thanksgiving is averaging $402, up 31% ($95) from last year.
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airfare → show → 402
International airfare has also increased, particularly for popular destinations in Europe, Mexico and Central America.
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airfare → increase → Europe
For Christmas, domestic round-trip airfare is averaging $452, up 23% ($85) from last year.
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airfare → average → 452
Flights to Mexico and Central America have increased 23%, while fares to Europe are up 15%.
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fares → increase → Europe
Hopper attributed the rising price to elevated jet fuel costs.
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Hopper → attribute → costs
"Travelers looking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas travel will need to plan ahead for a larger travel budget this year, as the 2026 holiday travel is on track to be the most expensive in a decade," the report said.
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report → look → decade
"Months of elevated jet fuel costs due to the conflict in Iran have contributed to Thanksgiving and Christmas airfares reaching 10-year highs."
Gary Leff, a Texas-based aviation expert who founded the blog "View from the Wing," told Fox News Digital that the higher prices will heavily impact families traveling together.
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prices → contribute → families
"It's a much bigger deal when you're multiplying increases by, you know, four or more passengers," Leff said.
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Leff → multiply → passengers
Leff suggests travelers continue monitoring airfare prices after booking, as they may be able to recover some of the difference if prices fall.
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prices → suggest → difference
"You buy now and the fare drops, you just have to watch it," he suggested.
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he → buy → it
"Don't just buy it and then never look again."
"As long as you're not buying a basic economy ticket, most tickets no longer have change fees," Leff said.
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Leff → buy → fees
"What that means is that you can call up the airline and apply your old ticket to a new one and generally get a credit back for the difference."
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you → mean → difference
"Most tickets no longer have change fees."
Leff also said common money-saving strategies, such as flying out of a different airport or booking a connecting flight, don't always work.
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strategies → have → flight
"If you're looking at an alternate airport that's farther away, there are costs for driving," he said.
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he → look → driving
"You may [have] to park where you otherwise wouldn't, or somebody might drop you off or wouldn't, or the Uber is more expensive."
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Uber → have → you
He said choosing a connecting flight over a nonstop route can introduce additional risks, particularly during the busy holiday season.
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choosing → say → season
"If you take a connection instead of a nonstop, that's more of an opportunity for things to go wrong," Leff said.
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Leff → take → opportunity
He added, "You should always consider your use of miles.
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You → add → miles
If you have them, congratulations, and if you don't, consider accumulating them for the future."
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you → have → future
Jessica Mekles of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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Mekles → contribute → reporting
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