Travelers heading out on fall flights say the cheaper, post-pandemic fares seem to be disappearing.

"I can't remember the last time I found a trip for under $200," traveler Julia Evans said.

Frequent flier Samir Patel says fares are out of control; "Even short one-hour trips are like $500, $600," he said.

The newest government consumer price index confirms those suspicions, finding that airfares overall are up 5.9% from August 2024 to August 2025.

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With that in mind, now is the time to start setting price alerts for holiday flights to avoid overpaying around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Key time to book holiday flights

Getting the best deal on a holiday flight means not booking too early – or too late, according to Clint Henderson, travel expert with the rewards and tra

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