Holiday airfare hits 10-year high as Thanksgiving and Christmas travel costs soar

Holiday airfares are reaching 10-year highs this year, putting added pressure on Americans planning Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. But a travel expert says there are still ways to save.

Hopper, a travel-booking company, published its 2026 Holiday Travel Index revealing sharp increases in airfare prices compared to last 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.