Best Time to Book Christmas Flights (UK Guide)

Every year it’s the same: you tell yourself you’ll book the Christmas flights early this time, and every year you find yourself in late November staring at prices that make your eyes water. Christmas is the most expensive time of the year to fly — airlines know exactly how many of us have to be somewhere specific on 25 December, and they price accordingly.

But ‘expensive’ isn’t the same as ‘unavoidable’. The data on Christmas flight pricing is actually pretty clear about when prices dip and when they spike. Here’s what is the best time to book flights for Christmas, based on years of fare data and a fair bit of personal trial and error.

What is the best time to book flights for Christmas: the short answer

For most UK routes, the sweet spot is 8 to 12 weeks before departure — roughly late September to late October for Christmas travel. Book earlier than that and you’re often paying the airline’s opening prices, which are rarely the cheapest. Book later than mid-November and you’re in the danger zone, where every remaining seat gets more expensive by the day.

Long-haul is the exception: if you’re flying to Australia, the US West Coast or Asia for Christmas, book as early as you can — 4 to 6 months out isn’t too soon. Those routes have limited capacity, high demand, and prices that only go one direction. Short-haul European hops are more forgiving; I’ve seen sensible prices to Dublin and Amsterdam into early December.

Short-haul Europe: book late September to late October (8–12 weeks out).
Long-haul: book 4–6 months ahead — these prices only rise.
After mid-November: expect to pay a premium; after early December, expect pain.

How Christmas flight prices actually behave

Christmas pricing follows a pattern. Airlines release seats 11–12 months out at optimistic prices. Then, around the 3-month mark, the algorithms start reacting to real demand — this is when the genuine deals appear, especially on routes with competition. From mid-November, leisure travellers flood in, seats thin out, and prices climb steeply right up to the week before Christmas.

The days you fly matter enormously. Christmas Eve and the 23rd are the priciest departures; flying on Christmas Day itself or Boxing Day can be 30–40% cheaper, and the airports are blissfully quiet. Similarly, New Year’s Day return flights cost a fraction of the 2 January scrum. If your family plans allow it, shifting by even one day is the single biggest saving most people can make.

Tricks that actually cut the cost

First, be flexible on airports. Flying into a secondary airport — or even a different city with a cheap onward train — can save hundreds at Christmas. London to Edinburgh on the 23rd might be £180; London to Newcastle plus a train could be half that. Always check the total journey cost, not just the flight.

Second, use price alerts properly. Set up Google Flights alerts for your exact dates in September and watch the trend for two weeks before booking — you’ll learn your route’s pattern fast. MoneySavingExpert’s cheap flights guide is the best free resource for this stuff, covering everything from comparison sites to the myth of incognito-mode pricing (it doesn’t work, by the way). And if you’re flying long-haul for Christmas, factor arrival time into your choice — landing in daylight makes the whole festive trip easier.

Check secondary airports and nearby cities — the savings can be huge.
Set Google Flights price alerts in September and watch for two weeks.
Consider flying Christmas Day or Boxing Day for 30–40% less.

Packages, points and other angles

Don’t ignore package deals, even if you only want the flight. At Christmas, some operators bundle flights with hotels they’ve pre-bought cheaply, and the package can undercut the flight-only price — you don’t have to use the hotel. It’s an odd quirk of the market, but it works particularly well for Canaries, Madeira and city breaks.

If you collect Avios or other points, Christmas is when they shine brightest — cash prices are at their peak, so the relative value of points is at its highest. Book the moment seats release (usually 355 days out for BA) because award seats at Christmas vanish fast. And check budget airlines’ Christmas schedules early: easyJet and Ryanair add festive flights that don’t appear in normal searches until autumn.

What to do if you left it late

So it’s late November and you haven’t booked. Don’t despair — but act fast. First, widen your search: nearby airports, indirect routings (a stop in Amsterdam or Dublin can halve a long-haul fare), and flexible dates. Use the ‘whole month’ view on Skyscanner to spot the cheapest combinations.

Second, know your rights in case things go wrong. Christmas weather causes chaos most years, so read up on what to do if your flight is cancelled before you travel — knowing you’re entitled to rerouting or a refund takes the panic out of a cancellation text. And buy travel insurance the day you book, not the day you fly; most policies won’t cover disruptions you knew about before buying.

The best time to book Christmas flights is, boringly, ‘a couple of months ago’ — but the second-best time is right now, today, before the November surge. Set your alerts, stay flexible on dates and airports, and remember that flying on the 25th itself is both cheaper and calmer. Future you, sipping mulled wine instead of refreshing fare trackers, will be grateful. One last tactic for the truly committed: consider positioning flights. If direct Christmas fares from your local airport are extortionate, check prices from London or another major hub — a cheap domestic hop plus a sensibly priced long-haul leg can undercut a pricey direct fare from a regional airport. It adds travel time, but at Christmas the saving can fund the entire trip’s spending money. And whatever you book, screenshot the price and terms at purchase: if the airline later changes the schedule significantly, that screenshot is your evidence for a free change or refund under your passenger rights.