What to expect in travel this Thanksgiving and holiday season: cheaper flights, pricier hotels

Here’s what you should expect before traveling for Thanksgiving and the holidays, from hotel and flight prices to airport efficiency and more.

This year’s post-pandemic travel boom is continuing into the holidays.

Nearly half (48%) of Americans plan to travel between Thanksgiving and mid-January, up from 31% last winter, a recent Deloitte survey found. AAA expects 55.4 million travelers to venture at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving period alone, a 2.3% increase from last year.

Justine Goode / NBC News; Getty ImagesThat means if you’re hitting the roads or the slopes this season, you’ll have lots of company. Here’s what to expect as you pack your bags for a winter getaway or to visit loved ones.

Airline ticket prices are falling even as more Americans intend to fly.

Deloitte found 33% of holiday travelers plan to take a domestic flight, up from 29% last year. Despite the strong demand, airfares were more than 13% cheaper last month than at same time a year ago, federal inflation data shows.