CheapOair has announced its top ten most popular domestic and international destinations for the 2018 holiday season. This year, Denver, CO, tops the list, followed by Los Angeles, CA and Orlando, FL, which round out the top three U.S. domestic cities booked. In addition, CheapOair's data shows that the average airfare prices for the top ten domestic destinations have increased by 4 percent since last year.
As of mid-November, many international travelers had booked flights to visit warm weather destinations this December including Cancun, Mexico City, and Kingston, Jamaica. Domestically, Los Angeles, CA saw the largest increase in airfare price this year with 12 percent, but it still dominates as the second most popular destination to visit this season.
"Flexibility is the key to still scoring really low fares this Christmas season," said Tom Spagnola, SVP of supplier relations at CheapOair, in a written statement. "Avoiding the peak travel departure dates of December 20 through the 23 and returning dates of December 26 through the 29 will provide some heavily discounted rates that are still available to consumers. As prices continue to fluctuate, it's important to act fast if you plan to take flight for the holidays."
CheapOair's Top Domestic Destinations for Holiday 2018
with average roundtrip airfare
- Denver $387
- Los Angeles $472
- Orlando $390
- Las Vegas $329
- Phoenix $419
- Tampa $387
- Seattle $439
- Dallas $401
- Ft. Lauderdale $443
- Minneapolis $381
Outside of the 50 states, Mexico City and Cancun have claimed the number one and two spots in terms of the most popular destinations for the past two consecutive years. CheapOair's data also shows that in addition to tropical locations, two Canadian hot spots are among the top destinations to visit, with Toronto and Vancouver seeing a steady increase in passenger volume. Paris rounds out the tenth spot, despite the 30 percent decrease in airfare pricing since 2017.
"Travelers are taking advantage of their vacation and holiday time off from work to actually take a vacation to some of the more tropical locations," Spagnola added. "If you're not visiting friends or family, international travel to Asia or Europe has extremely attractive costs right now as they're considered to be in their low season."
CheapOair's Top International Destinations for Holiday 2018
with average roundtrip airfare
- Cancun $657
- Mexico City $626
- Toronto $497
- Kingston $701
- Montego Bay $766
- Guadalajara $544
- Puerto Vallarta $733
- Vancouver $587
- Nassau $523
- Paris $846
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