Christmas flights: fares on busy US routes and when to book
Christmas flights from Los Angeles to Honolulu started at $471 round trip in an October 30 check, plus when to book and which busy routes had none.
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Should you book Christmas flights now or wait?What do Christmas week flights cost on busy US routes?Which busy routes still had no cached fares for December 19 to 27?How we checkedChristmas flights are in their usual cheapest booking stretch now: Google's 2026 holiday data puts the historical low for Christmas fares about 56 days before departure, and October 30 is 56 days before Friday, December 25, 2026. Cached traveler fares checked October 30 for trips in or around December 19 to 27 started at $235 round trip from Seattle to Los Angeles and $471 from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
Every price here is a cached fare that travelers found on booking sites: round trip, in US dollars, per person, for travelers flying from the US cities listed. Each row shows the dates the trip is for and the day that price was last seen. The price at checkout is the one that counts.
Should you book Christmas flights now or wait?
The timing data points to booking soon. Google's holiday travel trends post for 2026 says the lowest Christmas prices have historically shown up about 56 days before departure, with a low range of 33 to 67 days out, which runs from late October through mid-November. October 30 is 56 days before December 25, so a December 25 departure sits at that historical low point today. Details are in Google's holiday travel trends post.
Hopper's 2026 Holiday Travel Index puts the average domestic Christmas round trip at about $452, up 23% from 2025, according to The Washington Post on October 7, 2026.
A common question from travelers on Reddit is whether fares will drop closer to Christmas. Google's low range for Christmas fares ends in mid-November. Our Thanksgiving fare comparison looked at the same question for the November holiday.
What do Christmas week flights cost on busy US routes?
Christmas week round trips in the cache ran from $235 to $616 when checked on October 30, 2026. The window here is Saturday, December 19 to Sunday, December 27, 2026, and every trip below falls in it or overlaps it.
Los Angeles to Honolulu had the most choice. Alaska Airlines had the cheapest trip, $471 for December 21 to 24, nonstop both ways and last seen October 24. The longest stay, December 19 to 27 on American Airlines, cost $616 with one stop on the way out. Southwest's $566 fare for December 23 to 27 had two stops out and a nonstop back.
Cached traveler fares, checked October 30, 2026
| Route | Travel dates | Round trip | Airline | Stops out / back | Price last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Dec 24 to 28 | $235 | Alaska Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 29 |
| New York (JFK area) to San Juan | Dec 18 to 21 | $426 | Frontier Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 29 |
| Los Angeles to Honolulu | Dec 21 to 24 | $471 | Alaska Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 24 |
| Los Angeles to Honolulu | Dec 20 to 28 | $537 | Alaska Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 27 |
| Los Angeles to Honolulu | Dec 23 to 27 | $566 | Southwest Airlines | 2 stops / nonstop | October 29 |
| Los Angeles to Honolulu | Dec 19 to 27 | $616 | American Airlines | 1 stop / nonstop | October 27 |
For earlier December dates, the cache had these fares on other busy routes. These trips use different dates, so they don't compare like for like with Christmas week:
| Route | Travel dates | Round trip | Airline | Stops out / back | Price last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York to Miami | Dec 10 to 20 | $158 | Allegiant Air | nonstop / nonstop | October 27 |
| New York to Miami | Dec 12 to 17 | $158 | Frontier Airlines | 1 stop / nonstop | October 28 |
| Dallas to New York | Dec 8 to 15 | $173 | Frontier Airlines | 1 stop / 1 stop | October 25 |
| Dallas to New York | Dec 16 to 19 | $299 | Frontier Airlines | 1 stop / 1 stop | October 27 |
| New York to Los Angeles | Dec 9 to 12 | $254 | United Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 30 |
| Los Angeles to New York | Dec 5 to 9 | $262 | Alaska Airlines | nonstop / nonstop | October 29 |
Dallas to New York cost more for dates closer to the holiday. On the same airline with the same stops, it was $173 for December 8 to 15 and $299 for December 16 to 19.
Which busy routes still had no cached fares for December 19 to 27?
Ten busy US routes had no cached fares for leaving December 19 and returning December 27 when checked on October 30, 2026:
- New York to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles to New York
- Atlanta to New York
- New York to Atlanta
- Boston to Miami
- Newark to Miami
- Las Vegas to Los Angeles
- Denver to Phoenix
- Chicago to Orlando
- Dallas to New York
No price is guessed for these routes. Three of them did have earlier December fares in the cache: New York to Los Angeles at $254 for December 9 to 12, Los Angeles to New York at $262 for December 5 to 9, and Dallas to New York at $299 for December 16 to 19. If your exact holiday dates come up empty, search the whole month or try nearby airports.
How we checked
Divux searched its cache of fares found by travelers on booking sites on October 30, 2026, for December round trips on busy US routes, plus a separate check for exact December 19 to 27 dates. Each fare shows the dates the trip is for and the day that price was last seen. You can search your own route on the flights page. The timing figures from Google and Hopper are theirs.
To check Christmas fares on your own route, add mcp.divux.si to any AI agent that supports MCP, like Claude, ChatGPT, Grok or Muse.
