Holiday airline tickets won’t get cheaper than right now, bargain fare site says

It’s just early autumn and we’re already talking about when you should book your holiday airfare? Yes, we are. And the answer is now.

Buying a ticket in the final days of September will offer the best fares for the holidays, bargain airfare service Cheapair.com said in a just-released report on the best times to buy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s airfares.

The Calabasas company’s annual report is based on trends from 3.6 million airfares and more than 11,000 itineraries.

As of late Wednesday, round-trip fares for the holidays were averaging about $408.

Among the report’s findings:

• Thanksgiving travelers will find the deepest discounts by flying Nov. 24 and 25, the Friday and Saturday immediately after Thanksgiving.
• The most expensive days? The Sunday after Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day of the year.
• Nov. 17, the Friday before Thanksgiving, is also expected to be a busy and expensive day to fly. (As with most products, airline seat price structures are heavily based on demand.)
• With Christmas falling on a Monday this year, Dec. 19 (Tuesday), 20 (Wednesday) and 24 (Sunday) will be the most affordable days to fly.
• Travelers will face price spikes on Dec. 22 and 26, and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will also see high fares.

For more on holiday travel, check out the report.

[email protected]

ALSO:

Why you should apply for or renew your U.S. passport before January

Heading up the 395? Stopping to scope out the sights is time well spent