Expect your Thanksgiving flight to be packed . Nearly 24 million passengers are expected to fly this Thanksgiving travel season , an increase of about 150,000 passengers over last year , industry trade group Airlines for America predicted . With fewer planes flying , airplanes could be close to 90 % full on the busiest travel days between Friday , November 16 , and Tuesday , November 27 , the trade group predicted . The busiest days are likely to be Wednesday , November 21 ( 2.3 million travelers ) , Sunday , November 25 ( 2.4 million travelers ) and Monday , November 26 ( 2.3 million travelers ) . Despite reports that planes are going to be nearly full during the Thanksgiving holiday , some 78 % of travelers have not booked their airline , hotel or car rentals yet , according to a Hotwire survey released Wednesday . Do n't wait to book your flights . `` Thanksgiving airfare and hotel prices are up compared to last year , and they 're likely to increase even more as we get closer to the holiday , '' Clem Bason , president of the Hotwire Group , said in a statement . Book now , advises Hotwire , because fares are only likely to increase . Travelers who have n't yet bought their plane tickets might consider flying on Thanksgiving Day , November 22 , when only 1.3 million people are expected to fly , and returning home on Friday , November 23 , with only 1.6 million other passengers , according to Airlines for America estimates . Procrastinators take note : Holiday airfares are up . Also consider booking at alternate airports that may offer lower fares . While travelers continue to complain about airlines charging for everything from more leg room to window seats to snacks , airlines would have lost money this year without those fees , according to Airlines for America vice president and chief economist John Heimlich . Jet fuel prices continue to rise . Although airlines have seen a 5.6 % increase in revenues in the third quarter of 2012 compared with the same time last year , Heimlich said that the 10 largest Unites States airlines have also faced costs that are 6.2 % higher , reducing profits to a margin of 0.2 % -- or about 50 cents per passenger . Without passengers paying an average of $ 8 each in ancillary fees on domestic , round-trip tickets , airlines would have been losing money , Heimlich said in a morning conference call . The price of jet fuel is a key factor in higher costs , he said . It has averaged $ 3.08 per gallon , more than last year 's record high of $ 3 per gallon . Airlines have cut the number of flights and grounded some aircraft to reduce expenses . Those cuts in domestic service are likely to continue into the new year , with Airlines for America predicting a 2.4 % cut in the number of domestic airline flights and a 1.3 % cut in the number of domestic airline seats for the first quarter of 2013 , compared with the first quarter of 2012 . Do you have plans to fly this holiday season to see family or take a vacation ? If so , have you bought your tickets yet ? Please let us know in the comments section below .
Thanksgiving airfares are likely to increase the closer it gets to the holiday . Book your flights now , say experts , and look at alternate airports for lower fares . Expect prices to increase in the new year as airlines continue to reduce their domestic capacity .