are airline tickets higher during thanksgiving

Priceline.com reported that, in the last 30 days, the average airline tickets for Christmas-time travel has dropped from $444 to $429. Meanwhile, the average Thanksgiving airfare has risen slightly higher from $383 to $387. Priceline calculated the average airfares for both holidays based on published price airline tickets booked by its customers.

"These recent fare trends should be good news for procrastinating travelers who have yet to book their holiday airline tickets," said Priceline Senior Travel Analyst Brian Ek. "Holiday fares are still higher than in many previous years, but travelers who are choosy in picking less-popular travel days when fares are cheaper can still find affordable airfares. Each year, Priceline publishes a holiday Best Days To Fly calendar that shows all of the most-affordable travel days and fares."

According to the calendar, the best days to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday are November 20, 21, 23, 24, 25 (Thanksgiving Day), 27 and 30.

The best days to fly over the Christmas holiday are December 18, 20, 22, 25 (Christmas Day) 28, 29 and New Year's Day.

Ek also had some additional tips to help find cheaper airfare and keep those travel costs down after the airfare is booked.

Pick times of the day that are normally less busy. Time of day is important. Travelers will find the most affordable seats departing early in the morning (5-7 a.m.) or late evening (after 8 p.m.). Mid-day (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.) is a bit more expensive, but still reasonable. Most expensive are the peak business travel hours (8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.).
Try priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service. You can save even more on your airline tickets by using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® ticketing service. Visit www.priceline.com/flights and click on the link to use the service. For help in deciding when to fly or how to bid for maximum savings, check out priceline.com's Inside Track www.priceline.com/insidetrack.
Send those presents on ahead. You see presents; the airlines see extra baggage and maybe some extra fees. Not to mention how unhappy the security screeners will be to see those wrapped boxes. Save yourself the hassle by mailing or shipping presents in advance (after you've wrapped them, of course).
Weigh and measure your baggage. Check your airline's maximum requirements for checked and carry-on bags to make sure you won't incur extra fees. Fees can be up to $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second. Note: baggage fees are charged separately for your outbound and return flights.