The Best Days to Travel Around Christmas

Spending Christmas in an airport might feel like the kind of gift someone on the naughty list might receive. After all, the week around Christmas makes for one of the busiest times to fly.

And in 2024, airports are only getting busier. According to Expedia’s Holiday Outlook, year-over-year flight searches for Christmas travel are up by 20%.

But if you must fly for the holidays, there are some days to fly that are less crowded than others. Christmas Day is historically the least crowded travel day during the holiday week, and there are some other days that tend to be especially good for travel, too.

NerdWallet analyzed the past three years of travel data from the TSA to understand what travel patterns might look like this December. In general, lower demand generally correlates to lower prices, so the best days to fly around Christmas are usually the ones with fewer crowds.

There are two strategies for saving money on holiday flights around Christmas: either traveling on a holiday or departing earlier for Christmas and returning later.

Best for avoiding crowds: Traveling on the holiday

When looking at the average number of travelers in TSA data from 2021 to 2023, within the seven days before and after Christmas day, holidays stood out as the least-crowded traveling days.

The least-crowded traveling dates on or before Christmas were:

1. Dec. 25 (Christmas Day).

2. Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve).

Next-best option: Departing earlier and returning later

The best way to avoid crowds at the airport during Christmas is to fly on a holiday. But if that’s not an option, extending your trip by leaving earlier and returning later could be your best bet.

In our analysis, these were the least crowded days to fly in the seven days prior and seven days following Christmas:

Least-crowded dates for traveling before Christmas

1. Dec. 19.

2. Dec. 18.

The least-crowded dates for traveling after Christmas are:

1. Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day).

2. Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve).

Another factor to consider: Christmas falls on a Wednesday in 2024. If you have the option to take off work or work remotely for the rest of Christmas week, you might be able to avoid mixing with the post-Christmas and New Year travelers.

Assuming you don’t mind spending part of your holiday in the air, Christmas Day or Christmas Eve are the best days to fly during the last two weeks of the year.

While airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after the holiday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are light.

Last year, 31% more people flew on the day after Christmas compared to the number of people who flew on Christmas Day.

As far as the return flight, you’ll likely also save by flying as far from Christmas Day as possible. In 2023, the least busy days to fly post-Christmas were actually other holidays: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The weekend before Christmas is when everyone will be headed to their holiday destinations. If you want to skip the worst of the crowds, avoid flying from Friday, Dec. 20, to Sunday, Dec. 22. According to Expedia’s Holiday Outlook, domestic airfares average $100 more than on those days versus the cheapest days during that same period.

In 2023, the busiest air travel day in the seven days leading up to Christmas was Friday, Dec. 22. On that day, 2.8 million people passed through TSA security checkpoints.

There won’t be much relief right after Christmas either. According to Expedia’s 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook, Thursday, Dec. 26 will be the busiest and most expensive day to fly after Christmas 2024.

Expect airports to stay busy through Dec. 29 as people return home after Christmas and take off ahead of New Year’s Eve. Last year, four of the top six busiest days to fly around Christmas were Dec. 26 to Dec. 29, according to TSA throughput data.

Regardless of which day you decide to fly, using a credit card that earns extra rewards can be a smart money move. Here's a selection of cards that offer flight booking perks:

The debate between driving versus flying has to do with more than just drive time and mileage. Consider how many people you can cram into your car and if you're otherwise checking bags (don't forget about leaving room for presents).

If you intend to roadtrip in a car that's not yours, there's good news. Rental car prices are down this year versus last. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Consumer Price Index data, rental cars are averaging 7% cheaper this year versus 2023.

If you do drive in the days leading up to Christmas specific times typically have more traffic than others. According to data provided to NerdWallet by Google Maps, peak traffic hours in the days leading up to Dec. 25 are between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

During the week of Christmas, the standard rules around the best (and worst) days to fly don’t necessarily apply. You might not have a choice around where to travel for Christmas, but you likely have at least some flexibility around travel dates.

Often, shifting your itinerary by just a couple of days can drastically change the price you pay for holiday travel. If you can be a bit flexible, avoid the worst of the surge and try:

Flying the previous week: Crowds ease up the farther away from Christmas you get, so if you can work remotely or afford to take days off, do it. While crowds will likely be high in the days ahead of Christmas, they’ll likely be lighter on the Monday and Tuesday the week before.

Traveling on Christmas or Christmas Eve: If it’s important that you’re at your destination by Christmas morning, then leaving on Christmas Eve is your best move. In 2023, Dec. 24 was the least busy day during the Christmas period (followed by Christmas Day).

Booking morning flights: Morning departures are 50% less prone to cancellations than flights after 3 p.m., according to Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report.

Skipping holiday travel completely: Consider shifting your celebration by a couple of days or weeks. January and February tend to be the cheapest months to fly, so you might want to wait to visit family and friends until then.