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Traveling for the holidays? Experts say now is the time to buy your flights

An airplane sits on a tarmac. (Photo by Ahmed Muntasir from Pexels.)

If you’re ready to get out of town for the holidays this year, experts are saying right now is the time to book your flights.

Hopper released its annual Holiday Travel Guidance Report, which stated that mid-September is when it’s expecting to see the lowest prices for holiday travel.

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The company suggested that, if you’re ready to book, you should take advantage of the cheapest fares now -- especially for the Christmas holiday.

Airport foot traffic forecast

Experts are anticipating about 1.9 million travelers for Thanksgiving this year, which is about 75% of 2019 passenger levels and double 2020 levels.

For Christmas, there are expected to be about 2 million travelers each day, which is about 80% of 2019 travelers and double 2020 travelers, according to Hopper.

What’s it going to cost?

Hopper said travelers should expect domestic airfare for Thanksgiving travel to be around $300 for a round-trip ticket, while Christmas is looking more like $430 per person for a round-trip ticket.

If you are traveling the week of Thanksgiving, Hopper said the cheapest time to depart will be Monday, Nov. 22, adding that the most expensive day to return will be Sunday, Nov. 28.

The company suggested buying tickets for Thanksgiving travel no later than Halloween, in order to get the best prices.

If you are traveling the week of Christmas, Hopper said the cheapest day to fly will be Tuesday, Dec. 21, while Sunday, Dec. 26 is likely to be the most expensive day for return travelers.

The company suggested buying tickets for Christmas travel no later than Thanksgiving.