True story: One of my employees just noticed that it was exactly one month ago that she purchased a cheap ticket for her college kid in the Midwest to come home to California for Thanksgiving.

When she made the purchase on Oct. 10, the Northwest ticket cost $372 roundtrip. Mind you, because of the kid’s schedule, the fly-dates were among the most expensive: the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Monday after (and that Monday even included the new holiday “peak travel day” surcharge). Plus the ticket was of the more expensive “non-stop” variety — so it was an overall good deal.

Fast-forward: Just for fun, my employee checked the price today, one month later, and what a shock – that same ticket now costs $1,118!

Moral of the story? If you haven’t purchased Thanksgiving tickets yet, get moving! Yes, there are still some relatively cheap tickets available but you must be flexible. And time to get moving on Christmas, too!

And as always, FareCompare can find you the very best deals available for holidays and any days, no matter where your travels take you.

I’ve told you that holiday airfare prices are going up. But now, even the holiday “peak travel date” surcharges are going up.

In fact, the holiday surcharges have doubled.

Now, instead of paying $10 one-way to fly on numerous airlines on Nov. 29, 30; Dec. 19, 26, 27; and Jan. 2, 3 – you’ll pay $20 one-way. And you may not even know it – these surcharges are folded into the price of your ticket.

It’s all about the airlines and their need for profits. One airline spokesperson noted, prices around the holidays have always been higher – so it’s just a matter of supply and demand.

It is indeed – so check out my “When-to-Fly” Holiday Calendars – so you can get the cheapest possible airfare.