Flight Prices the Day Before or on Thanksgiving Day

[DisneyQueen1320]

So our family finally decided to take a holiday trip to Disney World. I'm flying from Pittsburgh, PA and I'm a little worried about the price.

Is it cheaper to fly the day before or on the day of Thanksgiving? Do you have any examples of prices?

We would love to squeeze another day out, but if its to high we can fly first thing in the morning of Thanksgiving.


Thanks

 

[kaytieeldr]

Don't know about cheaper, but it's a lot easier to fly on Thanksgiving. It's one of the lightest travel days of the year.

 

[DebbieB]

So our family finally decided to take a holiday trip to Disney World. I'm flying from Pittsburgh, PA and I'm a little worried about the price.

Is it cheaper to fly the day before or on the day of Thanksgiving? Do you have any examples of prices?

We would love to squeeze another day out, but if its to high we can fly first thing in the morning of Thanksgiving.


Thanks

I checked Orbitz, which does not include SW or AirTran because they are not out yet.

11/27 (Wed) to 12/4, the cheapest is United for $259.
11/28 (Thurs) to 12/5, the cheapest is United for $225.

Both are connections because SW and AirTran are the only non-stops.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

Thanks, that's not a bad price for either day.

I can't wait

 

[scjo68]

We (DD15 and I) are going at Thanksgiving, too. Most likely leaving the day before Thanksgiving, but would prefer to leave the day before that (Tuesday) if I could find a direct afternoon flight, so DD would only miss a little of her school day.

We really, really, want a direct flight. Only such flight right now is Jet Blue, which would be over $1000 for the both of us. I know, THanksgiving holiday= high prices. Would you all suggest going ahead and booking the Jet Blue, which is the best I can find time-wise, or wait till Air Tran comes out later, and hope it has a lower price for direct?

We usually drive-flying is not my thing. We have to fly this time, though. Driving 12 hours each way would cut into our already too-short trip. DH and I flew AirTran to WDW in January and it was great- inexpensive direct flight- but of course it was not a holiday.

 

[goofy4tink]

We flew Boston to Orlando on Thanksgiving Day one year. We got the lowest price for that time frame...looked at the day before and the day after....the actual day was cheaper.
We had a lot of company but it sure was better than flying the day before!!! And we didn't return until the following Wednesday. You wouldn't catch me at the airport that Sunday!!!

 

[jayhawk74]

Is it cheaper to fly the day before or on the day of Thanksgiving? Do you have any examples of prices?

In the airlines we call the day before Thanksgiving "Black Wed" because it is the highest travel day of the year. Since that is the case I would doubt that there would be any cheap fares on that day. If there are cheaper fares that would be on Thanksgiving itself, but the airlines fly a reduced schedule on that day so you probably won't find that many flights.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

Thanks jayhawk74, I think I will go ahead with Thanksgiving day.

Scjo68, I would wait until AirTran or JetBlue comes out. Normally AirTran has really good prices, Southwest is a little higher, but not having to pay for bag fees is nice.

 

[mdsd8700]

Thanks jayhawk74, I think I will go ahead with Thanksgiving day.

We have flown twice in recent years around this time and Thanksgiving has always been cheaper for us (we fly SW). On the return flight home we are usually stuck flying on Monday morning due to athletic obligations. It seems Tuesday/mid week is generally a better price.

 

[Shea&Van]

Hey there,

We are planning on leaving on Thanksgiving Day too. We could leave the day before also, but I really don't want to fly on that day because it is (historically) so very busy.

The flights out of DC are about $200 (one way) on Thanksgiving Day for the airlines already with flights published. We are waiting to see what AirTran and SWA offer on that day.

As a PP said, the flights I have seen are much more limited, so you may have less options to pick from.

We have our return trip back on 12/7 booked through JetBlue. I feel good about our fare ($388) for two adults, two children, and one lap child. JetBlue is nice for us because everyone gets their own TV and we each get to check a bag for no additional fee. I also like picking my seat...

Here's wishing you a good fare around Thanksgiving! I'll post back when we get our outbound flights secured.

Happy planning y'all!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I have found the day of to be cheaper. But I must warn you Disney will be a crazy mad house so you may want to two days before. The crowd starts to build on Wed.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Does anyone have an idea of what it is like to fly the Saturday after Thanksgiving? How are the airfares, the airports, and check in that day?

 

[Shea&Van]

Hey y'all,

I just booked our trip down to WDW on Thanksgiving Day. It's a little more expensive than returning home after our trip, but I can live with it. Plus, it is Southwest (which I really like to fly them) and our bags are included.

Paid $516
Baltimore to MCO
4 people + lap baby
11/28/13

Paid $388
MCO to Washington, DC
4 people + lap baby
12/7/13

I wish the Thanksgiving prices were a little better, but I can always haggle for a credit if they fluctuate down. Jet Blue prices were going to be $848 (one way trip down on Thanksgiving) for us and I was a little afraid to keep waiting just in case they didn't go down.

I hope you all are finding decent prices too. This is about $100 more than we paid in September of 2011, so I can live with it.

Happy planning.

 

[richmo]

Is it cheaper to fly the day before or on the day of Thanksgiving? Do you have

As others have pointed out, the day before Thanksgiving is the most intense travel day of the year. I'd avoid it, unless you can grab a very early flight. (If you're looking to get an extra day down there, could you go late Tuesday?)

Does anyone have an idea of what it is like to fly the Saturday after Thanksgiving? How are the airfares, the airports, and check in that day?

It's much busier than a typical Saturday, but on Thanksgiving weekend, the biggest portion of return flights will be on Sunday. (However, if you're thinking of flying INTO Orlando on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, that might not be so bad...although that also depends upon your home airport)