Thanksgiving air travel costs

[SFD998]

It is getting too difficult to take the kids out of school, so we are considering going in November next year instead of October. Specifically November 23-28. This is The Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My question is how crazy is the cost of airfare for those of you that have recently returned. We live in CT and are willing to fly out of N.Y. (JFK or LGA), CT or Providence R.I. We prefer Jet Blue, but will use Southwest. Actually any carrier if the price is right except AirTran. Anyone who has any info on pricing I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

 

[Jestocost]

Exact pricing will depend on pricing for your airport in general, but Thanksgiving fares tend to be up there with spring break, Christmas and other peak times. I think our fares RT from STL-MCO non stop were around $400 PP on SWA for Thanksgiving this year. We booked at those rates the day fares were released and they never went down for our dates and times. That's a little more than double the best rates we've seen in the past year.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

It is getting too difficult to take the kids out of school, so we are considering going in November next year instead of October. Specifically November 23-28. This is The Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My question is how crazy is the cost of airfare for those of you that have recently returned. We live in CT and are willing to fly out of N.Y. (JFK or LGA), CT or Providence R.I. We prefer Jet Blue, but will use Southwest. Actually any carrier if the price is right except AirTran. Anyone who has any info on pricing I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Considering Airtran will soon be part of SWA, you won't have to worry about that. As for prices, expect a big sticker shock if your used to $200 - $250 fares, as in $400 + per person (variable based on airline and time booked).

There are two things working against you. First airlines realize that travel demand will meet or exceed their capacity during Thanksgiving and Christmas and many have instituted a "surcharge" for holiday bookings. Second you're competing for the lowest fares with all other travelers looking to travel during the period and plan on buying pretty much when fares are released by the various airlines.

 

[Disflyer]

I would just add to what others have said in that it also really depends on what days of the week you are planning on traveling. If your plans are a bit more flexible, say the 24-29, you can get a better deal traveling. Most airlines reduce their schedule on the holiday since the demand is very weak. The Wednesday before and the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving are really the most expensive since they are the busiest travel days around the holiday.

Good luck!