CheapOair today announced its top ten domestic and international destinations for Thanksgiving. While most American travelers will remain stateside for the holiday this year, there are some who will be traveling internationally to destinations including London, Tokyo, and Dublin.
Historically, Thanksgiving travel results in approximately 20% of travelers going international while 80% stay domestic. As of the first week of October, CheapOair’s international bookings for the holiday were well underway with initial data reporting a higher than normal percentage of international bookings at 29%. However, as Thanksgiving approaches, 2018 continues to track along the historical trend line. A more recent report shows that domestic bookings are rising, and data recorded in the third week of October shows the split moving closer to the norm with 26% being international and 74% being domestic bookings.
“This Thanksgiving, there will be nearly 30 million passengers traveling from around the U.S.,” said Tom Spagnola, Senior Vice President of Supplier Relations at CheapOair. “Whether you’re traveling within or out of the country, it’s best to book your flights as soon as possible and especially before the demand begins to sky rocket come the first and second weeks of November.”
In addition to popular tourist areas, such as New York and Los Angeles, CheapOair’s data shows three cities in Florida among the top ten U.S. destinations, with Orlando coming in at number two, Miami at number four and Ft. Lauderdale at the number six ranking. The average roundtrip domestic airfare for destinations on the top 10 list this year is $329, with the lowest fares to Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
Top 10 U.S. Domestic Destinations for Thanksgiving 2018
Destination Average Roundtrip Airfare
New York, NY $352
Orlando, FL $306
Los Angeles, CA $348
Las Vegas, NV $305
Miami, FL $351
Ft. Lauderdale, FL $317
Denver, CO $312
San Francisco, CA $370
Dallas, TX $346
Atlanta, GA $287
Internationally, although Cancun, Mexico lost the top ranking to London, England this year, it remains a top international destination for Thanksgiving travel. London’s boost in popularity may be a result of a 20% decrease in airfare pricing since 2017, while Amsterdam holds the largest drop in pricing from last year, at a whopping 50%6.
“While the tendency is still to stay local for Thanksgiving, more consumers are feeling the urge to spend the holidays somewhere unfamiliar and exotic,” Tom Spagnola added. “The top international destinations for Thanksgiving have dropped in airfare prices by an average of 14% for this time of the year, giving travelers the opportunity to be adventurous and look beyond the traditional turkey meal.”
CheapOair’s Top 10 International Destinations for Thanksgiving 2018
Destination Average Roundtrip Airfare
London, England $717
Cancun, Mexico $473
Paris, France $570
Tokyo, Japan $984
Mexico City, Mexico $350
Bangkok, Thailand $773
Dublin, Ireland $614
Barcelona, Spain $647
Hong Kong (SAR) $852
Amsterdam, Netherlands $573
