What are the best days to fly around Christmas?

Yes, Christmas Day is the best day to fly out of all the days in the weeks before and after the holiday — assuming you don't mind spending part of your holiday in the air. While airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after Christmas, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are light.



For the 2026 holiday season, the best days to fly to save money and avoid the heaviest crowds are typically Christmas Day (December 25th) and mid-week dates such as Tuesday, December 22nd or Wednesday, December 23rd. Historically, the most expensive and congested days are the Friday and Saturday immediately preceding Christmas Day, as most travelers aim to arrive just before the holiday. Flying on the holiday itself—Christmas Day—often yields significantly lower fares because demand drops once the festivities begin. For your return journey, aim for mid-week after the New Year, such as Tuesday, January 6th, as the Sunday following New Year's Day is usually the busiest travel day of the entire year. To secure these "quiet" windows, travel experts recommend booking domestic flights 30 to 60 days in advance and international routes 3 to 6 months ahead. Being flexible with "off-peak" flight times, such as the first flight of the morning (5:00 AM) or a late-night "red-eye," can also save you upwards of 20% compared to mid-day departures.

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Cheapest Days To Fly for Christmas 2023 For Christmas, opting to fly on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) can help you save 26% on domestic airfares, according to Priceline data. If you don't want to fly on Christmas Eve, traveling between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20 may help you save up to 15%.

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This year, you might expect Friday, Dec. 22, to be particularly busy. Friday is typically the busiest travel day in any given week, and — especially during Christmas week — many holiday travelers may leave on that day. According to Chase Travel, Friday, Dec.

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Scheduling your departure flight earlier in the week and your return flight later in the week could help you save. Likewise, flying on Christmas itself is sometimes cheaper. You can also look at some of the less desirable times—early morning, late night, and red-eye flights—that often cost a bit less.

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According to Going's analysis, travelers want to look for the so-called Goldilocks Window (not too early, not too late) to get the cheapest airfare. For domestic flights, Keyes said that's one to three months in advance for off-peak trips and three to six months for peak-season travel, such as Christmas and New Year's.

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December 31 - Most people would rather party to celebrate a new year than spend the day airport hopping. But, if you're more interested in getting where you need to be while avoiding crowds and saving money, New Year's Eve is a light day to fly.

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Christmas (best departure and return dates) Other things such as school and business closures affect the dates too. Christmas can fall on a weekend (as it will in 2022), which further complicates things. Generally, the worst day to fly for Christmas is December 23, but that is not a hard rule.

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For Christmas, the best airfares may be found 20 to 88 days before departure, with the best deals about 22 days prior. But the analysis cautions it may be cutting it close. AAA Mountain West Group spokesman Julian Paredes agrees waiting too long for low holiday airfares is risky for travelers.

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Sunday, Nov. 26, will be the busiest travel day of the year in the US, according to Cirium, based on the number of passengers flying (almost 3.1 million) and flights scheduled (more than 22,00). Other days that Cirium sees as being especially busy during the holiday season: Dec. 21, 22, 28 and 29, and Jan. 2 and 7.

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TSA is projecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, Nov. 21; 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, Nov. 26, which will likely be the busiest travel day.

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The cheapest months to travel are:
  • November – early December.
  • Late January – March.


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Earlier in the day is the safest time of day to fly. More accidents occur later in the day when the pilots are tired, especially when the weather is bad and there have been delays. How does weather influence air safety? Weather is a factor in a majority of accidents.

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Domestic airfare is averaging around $400 round-trip, which is down 12% from last year. The cheapest day to depart will be Dec. 19, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Leaving on a holiday itself can save 26%.

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Last-Minute Christmas Flight Deals Airlines drop prices so much because they don't want their planes to be left half-full. As you may suspect, Christmas and New Year flights don't fall into this category. The only last-minute Christmas deal you can get is if someone cancels their tickets shortly before their trip.

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