11 Sneaky Times to Score 2026's Best Flight Deals (Set Calendar Alerts Now)

6. Holiday and peak-season deadlines: when prices jump

Holidays and peak seasons create clear pricing inflection points. For major U.S. holidays and school breaks, fares commonly firm up months in advance and spike as the travel window approaches. To avoid late surges, begin price monitoring well ahead and set escalating calendar reminders—monthly at first, then weekly in the last six weeks pre-departure. If you need guaranteed travel around a specific holiday, book early once a fare sits within your acceptable range. For travelers with date flexibility, target shoulder days around holiday windows; leaving a day before or after peak travel days often leads to meaningful savings. Another useful trick is to map alternative arrival or departure airports and add them to the same alert so you can see price spreads at once. This puts you in a position to act quickly when the best options appear rather than scrambling at the last minute.