Weather 
‘Tis the season to spend on holiday travel.
When TikTokker Kristen Mirand was looking for flights from JFK Airport to Buffalo for the holidays and saw her return trip would cost anywhere from $11,400 to $12,203, she couldn’t fathom what she was seeing, telling her followers she was “going to start walking home now.”
“Just a cheap $12,000,” she fumed, noting that the overpriced flight even included a layover in Fort Lauderdale.
Mirand is just one of many holiday travelers who have to brace their wallets. Travel app Hopper’s 2026 Holiday Travel Index reveals airfares are skyrocketing compared to last year, pinning the blame on months of surging jet fuel prices fueled by conflict in Iran.
2026 holiday travel is to be the most expensive it’s been in 10 years, according to Hopper’s report, which analyzed a week’s worth of flight searches in September, accounting for flight prices around Thanksgiving and Christmas when comparing prices to last year.
Round-trip domestic airfare for Thanksgiving is averaging $402, up 31% (+$95) from last year. Hotel nightly rates are averaging $170 per night, in line with 2025. And round-trip domestic airfare for Christmas is averaging $452, up 23% (+$85) from last year. Hotel nightly rates are averaging $197 per night, up 18% from last year.
Panicked travelers are locking in trip plans earlier than ever — and many are turning to AI tech to hunt for deals.
Hopper also reported that 33% of adults say they’re turning to generative AI bots like ChatGPT and Gemini to plan their getaways, rivaling traditional search engine use (35%).
Round-trip domestic airfare for Thanksgiving averages $402 (up 31% from last year), while international flights have also surged across top destinations in Europe and the Americas. Domestic hotels remain steady at $170 per night.
The most popular destinations in the US for Thanksgiving travel are New York City, Miami and Orlando, Florida. Tokyo, London and Paris are the most popular international destinations.
Christmas airfare is up 23% (+$85) from last year and averages $452 per ticket. Fares to Mexico/Central America are up 23%, and fares to Europe are up 15%. Domestic hotel nightly rates are averaging $197 per night, up 18% from last year.
Sunday, Nov. 29th will be one of the single most expensive days of the year to travel, with domestic flights returning on that date averaging $604 per round-trip ticket. Flying home on the Monday or Tuesday after can have travelers save as much as $250 per round-trip.
Monday, Nov. 23rd is the most affordable day for travelers to depart, with fares averaging $370 per ticket, about $50 less expensive than flights departing on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
As for the Christmas season, the most expensive days to leave for a Christmas trip will be the weekend ahead of Christmas, 12/18 -12/20, where prices are averaging just below $500 per ticket. The best dates to leave on a Christmas trip are Monday or Tuesday before the holiday.
Travelers heading home from Christmas trips should avoid a Sunday, December 27th return flight, when prices are about 20% higher than early in the week returns. And returns before January 2nd, when prices will surge to over $560 per ticket as travelers make their way home from holiday trips for good.
Commenters on Miranda’s TikTok post relate to her domestic flight struggles to visit home for the holidays.
“A flight for Thanksgiving is $7,500 from Sacramento to Mississippi, like, sorry mom, I’ll be having takeout alone for Thanksgiving,” one user commented.
“This happened to me too early this week! LAX > Costa Rica was $900 and the flight home was $14,500,” commented another.
