When To Lock In 2025 Holiday Flights For The Best Deals

As summer gives way to fall, millions of U.S. travelers start plotting Thanksgiving and Christmas trips, and the timing of your purchase can materially affect what you pay.

A recent USA Today report highlights updated booking windows drawn from Google Flights’ 2025 analysis. Google’s methodology looks at four years of aggregated fares for 4- to 16-day trip flights departing from U.S. airports, so the guidance is best read as a data-backed rule of thumb rather than an ironclad guarantee. Even so, the historical patterns are remarkably consistent and useful for planning.

Booking Windows For Thanksgiving And Christmas Flights

Thanksgiving in 2025 falls on Thursday, November 27. Google’s updated analysis finds that average prices for Thanksgiving trips tend to be lowest 35 days before departure, with a broader “low-price” range of 24 to 59 days out. Practically, travelers flying on Wednesday, November 26 (the day before the holiday) would often find the best prices by booking in late October (around October 23, for example, for a 35-day advance booking)).

The exact day can vary by route and airline, but those timing bands are what Google’s multi-year data shows most often. Christmas travel follows a slightly earlier and wider curve. For December trips, Google reports the lowest average prices about 51 days before departure, within a 32- to 73-day booking window.

For a Saturday, December 20 departure, the “51-day” illustration falls around October 30, squarely within the mid-October to mid-November span that the data identifies as the best time to buy. Again, treat this as a pattern, not a promise, and keep an eye on your specific route.

What Google Reveals About Airfare

Beyond the holiday-specific windows, Google’s broader 2025 guidance shows domestic U.S. fares tend to bottom about 39 days before departure, while international trips are typically cheapest 49 days or more in advance. The company also cautions that booking on a particular day of the week doesn’t move the needle much (historically, Tuesday is only around 1.3% cheaper than Sunday).

What does matter more is the day you actually fly. Departures on Monday through Wednesday average about 13% cheaper than weekend flights. Additionally, travelers willing to take a connecting flight instead of a nonstop can save approximately 22% on their fare.

Methodology note: Google’s results are based on fares observed from January 1, 2021, through August 1, 2025, for trips departing from U.S. airports. If your itinerary originates outside the U.S., expect some variation. Still, using these ranges in tandem with price-tracking alerts and flexible-date searches is a practical way to avoid overpaying during peak season.

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