Holiday Flights Will Be Cheaper This Year, But Don't Wait To Book

Prices won't be ho-ho-horrible.
Tobias Ackeborn via Getty Images

Holiday travel may not totally break your bank this year, but you should definitely book right NOW.

Travel research company Hopper predicts that holiday flight prices will be cheaper this year than they were last year, allowing us to breathe a small sigh of collective relief.

Thanksgiving flights are currently running about $322 roundtrip, about a 10 percent drop from last year's prices, Hopper chief data scientist Patrick Surry told HuffPost. Thanksgiving prices will likely rise a bit until the holiday hits, he said, but will ultimately trend in line with Hopper's prediction that flights for the rest of 2015 will be 7.2 percent cheaper than the same time last year.

Surry said it's too early to predict exact prices, but ballpark estimates say Christmas round-trip tickets will cost an average of $387 -- a 7.2 decrease from last year.

Oh, the joys of the season.

You may be tempted to wait around for a price drop before booking Thanksgiving and winter holiday flights, but don't: CheapAir points out that when it comes to holiday travel, it's pretty much impossible to book too early.

Last year, most people booked holiday trips about 40 to 48 days ahead of time, in line with the typical "best time" to buy tickets. But when holidays are concerned, the rules of the game change, and experts suggest you purchase in mid-August for holiday travel.

The good news is that flight prices are indeed dropping, so being late to the game shouldn't set you back as much as it usually would.

We ho-ho-hope you find a cheap flight!

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