Thanksgiving Flights Paid With Miles Cost 32% More This Year

Planning to use your frequent flyer miles (points you earn from flying that can be swapped for free or discounted tickets) to visit family this Thanksgiving? Brace yourself — those "free" trips are getting a lot more expensive.

According to data from Seats.aero, a website that helps people find flights they can book with miles, tickets bought with miles over the Thanksgiving period will cost 32% more than last year. That means you'll need to hand over many more miles for the same trip.

Why is this happening? A few reasons:

• Regular ticket prices have jumped this year, especially around holidays.
• Airlines switched to dynamic pricing — meaning the number of miles needed changes based on demand, the route, and timing. (In the past, airlines used fixed charts, so you always knew exactly how many miles a trip would cost.)
• Jet fuel prices have surged since conflict broke out between the U.S., Israel, and Iran in late February. Higher fuel costs eat into airline profits, so airlines pass those costs on to travelers.

The most expensive routes tend to be the longest, like flights from Hawaii. But surprisingly, the list also includes a direct flight from New York to Houston.

Even the cheapest routes cost more than last year. For example, short trips like Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport have gone up in price too.

The bottom line: Whether you're paying with cash or miles, Thanksgiving travel this year will hit your wallet harder. Because airlines no longer use fixed mileage charts, it's tougher to budget — so it pays to search carefully and book early to find the best deal.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/08/frequent-flyer-miles-points-thanksgiving.html