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While the absolute best days to book your winter holiday travel may have already passed, there's reassuring news for those who've been putting off making solid plans. Booking site Orbitz.com just released their annual "Insider Index" for the upcoming season, noting the trends already emerging for the incredibly popular times around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. In addition to the usual note of the busiest days for hopping a flight, Orbitz has identified what dates will be least busiest and most affordable for air travel over the season.
Thanksgiving
The busiest day to travel for Thanksgiving is November 25, and the least busy travel day is Nov. 30. Orbitz says that those interested in Thanksgiving travel "on the cheap" should consider a holiday in Texas, with airfare there down an average of 11 percent and hotels down 13 percent year-over-year.
Christmas
The busiest day for Christmas travel is December 23, the day before the day before Christmas. Merry travelers will find airports least hectic on December 27. A ski retreat to Colorado is Orbitz's recommendation for a budget holiday, with average airfare to Denver down 7 percent and hotels down 17 percent on average when comparing to 2014.
New Year's
The busiest day for New Year’s travel is December 30, the day before New Year’s Eve. Flyers with the ability to get up and active on New Year's Day will find air travel the least crazy. As for deals, revelers looking to save money should check out Chicago, as Orbitz finds airfare down 10 percent and hotels down 9 percent from 2014.
With fuel prices and airfares lower than in past years, the holiday season for 2015 is already looking like it will be a busy one. In fact, 33 percent of Americans listed long airport lines as something they are dreading this year, compared to just 13 percent in 2014. That makes sense when, according to Orbitz's data, some 66 percent of Americans plan to travel by airplane during these holidays.