Rising airfare affects holiday travel plans for Americans

Americans are focused on scaling back spending this holiday season, and that includes travel spending.

NerdWallet’s 2026 Holiday Travel Report reveals that 31% of Americans plan to forgo things like flights and hotels this year. That’s a 22% increase over last year, and the news comes at a time when travel costs are especially steep.

The cost of an airline ticket, for instance, is up 23.4% year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index. Several factors are driving that increase, including higher jet fuel costs, reduced flight capacity among carriers, and strong consumer demand.

"Flight prices did certainly climb last year, and people paid it. But flight prices are continuing to climb, and people have been noticing it over the past year," Sally French, NerdWallet's travel expert and co-host of Smart Travel Podcast, told TravelPulse.

"The end of Spirit Airlines this year was especially tough for budget travelers, who relied on the no-frills airline for the cheapest fares," added French. "Even for people who don’t actually fly with Spirit, that elimination of competition has lead to rising airfares across airlines."

The NerdWallet report is not the first to identify the growing number of Americans who are planning to skip traveling for holidays. The Points Guy published a survey in conjunction with YouGov, which shared similar findings: A majority of TPG survey respondents (55%) said they're not planning to travel for the 2026 holiday season. Additionally, high airfare was cited as the number one concern among those who do plan to travel in TPG's survey.

Still, not all Americans are staying put. NerdWallet’s holiday report also indicates that 42% of Americans plan to travel and will spend an average of $2,439 on flights and hotels over the holidays. That figure hasn’t fluctuated much since 2025, when 45% indicated they planned to travel.

People with young children aren't letting prices hold them back for the 2026 holiday season either. About 3 in 5 (62%) of parents with children under 18 will spend money on flights and hotels. Meanwhile, just 33% of Americans who are not parents have similar spending plans.

While many parents are willing to pay for flights and hotels for the holidays this year, they’re also looking for ways to cut costs. To that end, 18% said they would be OK with booking a less convenient route, such as a late-night flight or a bad connection rather than a direct flight, if it meant saving some cash. Only 8% of those without children in tow said they are willing to make similar sacrifices.

And one last revelation from the NerdWallet holiday report: Points are part of the holiday travel plan for 2026 (at least among cost-conscious parents). About 26% of those with children indicated they will use credit card points to pay for holiday travel, versus 14% of nonparents.