Millennials lead in holiday travel spending, flights up to 9% cheaper than last year

WASHINGTON STATE — Traveling for Thanksgiving? You may help set a record.

More than 36 million people plan to fly somewhere through the holiday weekend.

According to the travel site Kayak, flights are 6 to 9% cheaper than last year, but the window to find deals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s is closing quickly.

Travel experts warn airfares will jump 5 to 10% every day in the last 2 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

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The biggest group of holiday travel spenders this season? Millennials.

If you want to get a cruise on your calendar, now is the time to look for deals.

Norwegian Cruise Line just launched their Black Friday promotion which is offering up to 50% off all cruises.

Based on bookings, some favorite locations are lining up for 2025.

“Europe is very popular and when I say Europe, I really mean the Mediterranean and northern Europe and a lot more,” said cruise and travel expert Colleen McDaniel.

Some travelers may have lingering concerns from the pandemic. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, 84% of people who have been on a cruise plan to book a trip again.

69% of non-cruisers say they are open to cruising, an increase of 9% since 2021.

“There were a lot of learnings in the pandemic for the cruise industry just as there were for other industries across the world and cruising is a very safe vacation option,” said McDaniel.