Holiday round-trip fares reached a 10-year high around late September 2026, with average Thanksgiving and Christmas tickets nearly $100 more than last year, driven by jet fuel prices pushed up by the war with Iran. By mid-October, CPI data showed airfare running 24% above a year ago, with Thanksgiving flights up 31%, confirming the scale of the increase. The discussion has moved from the initial sticker shock to the broader inflation picture, with travel experts still advising booking before Halloween and avoiding Sunday returns, which run about $250 more.