Holiday travel is months away. Why an expert says you should book flights now

(NEXSTAR) – It’s only barely September, but your mind may already be drifting toward traveling for the holidays. (There are about 85 days to Thanksgiving, and just over 110 until Christmas.)

While they may feel far off, you may want to book your flights now, an expert warns.

The advice has long been that, if you are flying domestically, the best time to buy your airfare is a month or two in advance. For international flights, you may want to look three to six months ahead of time.

That advice is outdated this year, Clint Henderson, travel expert for The Points Guy, told Nexstar. The war in Iran has caused jet fuel prices to spike, which has, in turn, caused airlines to raise ticket prices and baggage fees , and even impose fuel surcharges .

Though Chris Sununu, the CEO of Airlines for America, told Nexstar’s NewsNation that he doesn’t believe airfare will “go up significantly,” Henderson said prices are expected to continue to rise.

Already, an analysis by The Points Guy and Points Path has found that Thanksgiving and Christmas flights are up 13% and 18%, respectively, over last year.

Because of this, it’s recommended that you “book holiday travel ASAP,” Henderson explained.

“You probably have until Labor Day, but I wouldn’t wait much longer. The good news is that you can get a trip credit if the price drops after you lock in the ticket (as long as you don’t book ‘basic’ economy),” he told Nexstar via email, pointing to airfare tracking tools that allow you to monitor flights and earn trip credits automatically.

If you aren’t ready to book yet, you can also set up Google Flight Alerts to track trip prices. Henderson noted, though, that prices are expected to jump after Labor Day.

He anticipates that for those traveling over the upcoming holidays, “resort destinations will be most expensive,” including both ski sites and tropical locations. That includes Aspen and Vail in Colorado; Big Sky, Montana; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming; as well as Maui, Kauai, and Honolulu in Hawaii.

If you are hoping to save some money on your flight, Henderson said layovers can help, “especially if you’re willing to spend as much as eight hours in an airport.” Other tips include using points or miles, and booking vacation packages that include your flight, hotel and car rental all in one.

As for airfare for non-holiday-travel flights, it doesn’t appear that much relief is on the horizon, either.

Jet fuel is expected to cost 70% more this year on average than in 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association.

“The likelihood that fuel surcharges are going to be rolled back and airfares are going to be brought down is very low over the next few months,” Brett House, a Columbia University economist, told The Associated Press. “There is less choice for consumers and less competition between airlines, and therefore, less pressure to rein in fare increases.”

Sununu, meanwhile, said Sunday that prices could level off.

“I think they’re going to be kind of stabilized for quite a while because we’re not getting out of this Iran thing anytime soon, unfortunately.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.