2025 Christmas and New Year's Holiday Outlook

• Over 40 million seats are currently scheduled to depart from U.S airports between Monday, December 22nd and Friday, January 2nd. 

• Over 350,000 flights are scheduled between December 22nd and January 2nd over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period.

Holiday Passenger Volumes

Seats scheduled to depart from U.S airports for Christmas & New Year’s 2025 (in millions)

According to Hopper’s data, traveling on the holidays themselves will be the best days to fly with fewer crowds at the airport.

Best days to fly over the holiday period:

• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

• New Year's Eve and New Year’s Day

Preparing for delays and holiday crowds - What travelers need to know?

This holiday season, travel disruptions are top of mind for American travelers. In fact, according to a recent holiday survey commissioned by Hopper and HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) this fall, nearly 70% of Americans said they were concerned about delays and cancellations impacting their holiday trips this year. 

To prepare for holiday travel this year, 1 in 7 travelers are adding Disruption Assistance to their holiday travel plans on Hopper. Across HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions)'s B2B partners, travelers are purchasing Disruption Assistance at nearly a 30% higher rate for December 23rd (the day before Christmas Eve) than the December average.

What to know about flight delays this holiday season?

On November 14, the Department of Transportation (DOT) withdrew its airline cash compensation rule, which means travelers are no longer guaranteed automatic reimbursement for flight delays or cancellations. As we approach the busy holiday travel season, travelers who want more options in the event of a disruption should consider adding a rebooking service to their Christmas and New Year’s plans.

Disruption Assistance, available on Hopper, through select airlines and several credit card booking portals powered by its B2B division, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), allows travelers to rebook on any airline if their flight is delayed or canceled. Unlike traditional insurance, if a traveler faces a delay, cancellation, or missed connection, they can instantly rebook on any carrier through this service. And if they are not satisfied with the flight options available, travelers can choose to receive a refund instead.

Christmas and New Year’s Holiday Travel Tips:

• Add Disruption Assistance to your holiday plans: Offered on Hopper, a number of airlines, and some credit card booking portals through our B2B division, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), Disruption Assistance helps travelers rebook their flight on any carrier if they are delayed or canceled. Unlike insurance, if your flight is delayed, canceled, or you miss a connection, using this rebooking service, you can immediately rebook on any flight, regardless of the carrier. If you’re not satisfied with the flight options, you can opt to have your flight refunded instead. 

• Take advantage of flexible booking options: Travelers may want to consider adding extra flexibility when booking upcoming flights in case they want to make last-minute changes to their Thanksgiving plans. Travelers should take advantage of plans like Cancel for Any Reason or Change for Any Reason offered on Hopper, several leading airlines and credit card booking portals, powered by HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions).

• To get ahead of delays, book the first flight out of the day: In general, flights departing after 9am are 2X more likely to be delayed than departures scheduled between 5-8am. To avoid travel disruption, fly as early in the morning as possible.

Christmas and New Year's Eve Travel Deals Still Available to Book:

• New York City, New York to West Palm Beach, Florida for as low as $70 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Florida when you book on Hopper)

• New York City, New York to Orlando, Florida for as low as $90 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Orlando when you book on Hopper)

• New York City, New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico as low as $234 round-trip

• Boston, Massachusetts to Orlando, Florida for as low as $103 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Orlando when you book on Hopper)

• Boston, Massachusetts to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as low as $270 per round trip ticket

• Chicago, Illinois to Miami, Florida for as low as $84 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Florida when you book on Hopper)

• Chicago, Illinois to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as low as $250 round-trip 

• Chicago, Illinois to Cancun, Mexico for as low as $300 round-trip 

• Dallas, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada for as low as $87 round-trip 

• Dallas, Texas to Orlando, Florida for as low as $90 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Orlando when you book on Hopper)

• Dallas, Texas to Miami, Florida for as low as $100 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Florida when you book on Hopper)

• Dallas, Texas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for as low as $104 round-trip (additional 20% off hotels in Florida when you book on Hopper)