Peak travel day airline fees for Fall and holiday travel 2010

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As summer vacations end and kids head back to school, it's not too early to start thinking about holiday travel plans.  Late August and early September are good times to start looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas airfares. 

There are mixed reviews on whether Fall and holiday airfares will be higher or lower (

Discount airfare for Fall travel - deal or no deal(s)?).  With profits for the major airlines and Southwest in the second quarter of 2010, I expect higher airfares this Fall for the major airlines and decent airfares with some cheap tickets as well on Southwest.

So figuring out when to book your holiday travel and where to get the best deal is speculative at this point.  One thing is certain - you can expect to pay plenty in airline fees.

Peak travel day fees for holiday travel

One thing that is certain for holiday travel - passengers will pay peak day travel fees for flights.  For summer travel, peak day travel fees will continue through August 22.

Peak travel fees for holiday travel (Thanksgiving and Christmas) run November 19 - 29 and December 17 - January 3.  Fees for all airlines range from $10 to $30 each way.  Here's a quick rundown of peak travel day airline fees for American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways by dates:

Cheapest days to fly, $10 each way - November 20 -26, December 17 - 19, and December 31 - January 1.  There are no peak day travel fees for Thanksgiving Day (November 25) and Christmas Day (December 25).

Most expensive days to fly, $30 each way - November 28 -29, December 23, December 26 - 27, and January 2 - 3. 

All other days, $20 each way - All other dates for holiday travel in November and December are $20 each way.  US Airways is charging $50 each way for flights on February 7. 

Please note that these charges are part of the ticket price and customers must pay this when purchasing their tickets.  This is different than airline baggage fees which are separate (here's how you can avoid them).

Farecompare.com's Rick Seaney has done the best research of anyone in the travel industry in putting together a chart for peak day travel fees by date and airline.  He also has a baggage fee chart for each airline as well.

Holiday travel will be expensive

From Sacramento to Saratoga, holiday travel may cost more this year.  With airlines cutting back the number of flights and airline fees continuing to rise, flights will be full and demand will be high.  Aside from fees, passengers are even having to deal with purchasing travel insurance that they didn't know they were buying.  Saving money will be a huge focus of many people for Fall and holiday travels. 

As the Fall and holiday travel season draw closer, a budget holiday travel tips for 2010 article will highlight the fees, airfares, and tips for travel this season.  In the meantime, take a look at the links above for information on Fall and holiday travel and how you can save money.

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