Her holiday felt more leisurely the second she boarded her Saturday evening flight. “There were no delays, it wasn’t full, it was a very comfortable experience,” she said. Plus, it was one of the cheapest flights she’s ever bought for this time of year. “Flights are so expensive around the holidays,” she said. “Being able to extend your trip for a few days on either side allows you to book a cheaper flight and not be in the airport on the busiest day of the year.”
“This year I can finally make Thanksgiving what I want it to be,” she added.
This year for some who are able to work remotely, Thanksgiving plans and Christmas trips with family members are being extended. According to Skyscanner, the travel search engine, it is more popular this year to travel Friday, Nov. 18 (the weekend before Thanksgiving) than Wednesday, Nov. 23 (the day before Thanksgiving.) Skiplagged, another search engine for flights and hotels, is seeing similar trends for Christmas. The company said on average Christmas trips are 26 percent longer in 2022 than 2021, which equals two extra days.
At the Skift Aviation Forum American held in the middle of November, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told the audience that stressful peak travel days around the holidays may be a thing of the past. “We’re seeing demand is more spread out,” he said. “Travel, as it’s come back, we’re doing things differently.” A Delta Airlines representative confirmed that its peak travel day before Thanksgiving this year was the Friday before the holiday.
But more family time can also pose its own challenges.
“It will be nice to have everyone together for a while, but I think it might be a little chaotic,” said Carol Himmelstein, 65, Ms. Hollenberg’s mother who is hosting all her children in her home. “There are two bathrooms upstairs and eight people will be using them.”
“A friend of mine said she has a spreadsheet for all the meals,” Ms. Himmelstein said. “We don’t have that. We are going to wing it.”
The Holidays Are Longer Now. Is That a Good Thing?
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