Going 2026 Holiday Travel Outlook

New Going data shows Thanksgiving domestic fares up 15% and Christmas up 16%, plus the cheapest and most expensive days to fly and where deals still exist

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Going, the flight deals app that has helped millions of travelers fly more for less, released new data on what holiday travel will cost this year and where the best deals are hiding. Domestic fares have climbed, up 15% for Thanksgiving and 16% for Christmas year over year, while international fares have held essentially flat for both holidays.¹

"For holiday travel, the takeaway is simple: The sooner you book, the better position you're in," said Going flight expert Willis Orlando. "Airfares have been climbing steadily all year from a combination of rising fuel and labor costs, strong summer demand that outpaced available seats, and the loss of a major low-cost carrier. If you know the right days to fly and a few of the best-kept secrets in travel, whether that's finding a last-minute deal or catching a price drop after you've already booked, you can still make this holiday season work for your wallet."

Cheapest (and most expensive) days to fly

Domestic fares can swing by hundreds of dollars depending on the day. Monday, Nov. 23, and Christmas Eve are the cheapest days to depart for Thanksgiving and Christmas, while the weekends before and after each holiday are the most expensive to depart or return.

What to expect to pay per region

The Midwest is seeing the steepest Thanksgiving jump of any region, up 28% year over year, nearly double the overall domestic increase. The Northeast leads for Christmas, up 34%. On the other end, the West is seeing the mildest increases in both windows, up just 11% for Thanksgiving and 14% for Christmas.²

International Thanksgiving is the best-kept secret of the holiday season

While most Americans focus on domestic trips, fares overseas quietly drop the week of Thanksgiving, making it one of the best times all year to fly internationally. Recent Going roundtrip deals³ for Thanksgiving week include:

1. Casablanca, Morocco: $649 from New York City
2. Seoul, South Korea: $664 from San Francisco
3. London: $617 from Los Angeles
4. Berlin: $595 from Chicago
5. Auckland, New Zealand: $763 from Los Angeles

Tips for holiday travel

• Set a flight alert. Fares shift constantly. Let Going track your trip instead of checking manually.
• The price booked doesn't have to be the final price paid. If it drops after booking, Going's new Price Drop feature alerts travelers and walks them through how to recover the savings.
• Use points. Award pricing hasn't climbed at the same rate as cash fares this year, so even after taxes and fees, travelers will likely still come out ahead.
• Book the first flight of the day. Morning flights have an on-time departure rate more than 40 percentage points higher than evening flights.⁴
• Know your rights if things go wrong. If a U.S. flight is canceled or delayed 3 hours or more (6 hours or more for international), travelers who choose not to fly are owed a full cash refund to the original form of payment under Department of Transportation rules.

¹Fares reflect search-volume-weighted average round-trip economy fares, pulled Sept. 23-30, 2026 (2025 figures pulled Sept. 23-30, 2025)

²Domestic fares reflect search-volume-weighted round-trip economy fares, grouped into five U.S. regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West, pulled Aug. 31 to Sept. 7, 2026 (2025 figures pulled Sept. 1-8, 2025)

³Thanksgiving international deals pulled Oct. 5, 2026. Individual fares typically last just one to two days, and prices vary by departure airport, travel dates and availability

⁴U.S. Department of Transportation, Air Travel Consumer Report, September 2026

About Going
Going, the travel app for discovering flight deals, has helped 10 million travelers around the world make their travel dreams come true since 2015. We combine sophisticated software and human flight experts to discover flight deals 40% to 90% off typical prices, including rare mistake fares. Unlike fully automated fare alert services, every deal we send has passed a rigorous quality check by our team to ensure it's worth members' hard-earned money and limited travel time. The Trips and Price Drop features extend that expertise, tracking fares before and after members book.

SOURCE Going