Holiday travel more expensive than usual

Airfares for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods will be more expensive than usual according to a study from priceline.com.

Higher airfares during the holiday seasons are nothing new, but this year will be particularly pricy.

Figures from the study showed the average airfare for travel during the Thanksgiving period was between 12 to 15 per cent higher than 2004.

For Christmas it was even worse with airfares up 15 to 25 per cent compared to a year ago.

A number of airlines, particularly discount ones like Southwest and ATA, have been offering what they call holiday airfare discounts, but for most of these sales there is usually a 'black-out' period right around the holiday where the discounts are not available.

The best way to avoid paying higher airfares for the holidays is to book as far in advance as possible, but those looking for a way to get home now may find themselves having to empty their pockets.

© Adfero Ltd