KAYAK Finds Two One-Way Holiday Tickets May Cost Less Than Round Trips

KAYAK has released its 2026 Holiday Travel Check-In, with a clear starting point for travelers facing higher holiday fares: compare two one-way tickets before buying a round trip. The company’s search analysis identifies potential savings of up to 30% internationally and 29% domestically, alongside lower-priced departure dates for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The findings appear in an Oct. 12 report published by KRDO. Produced by KAYAK and reviewed and distributed by Stacker, the report draws on the company’s 2025 and 2026 search data. It offers a useful framework for comparing tickets, not a promise that waiting will produce a cheaper fare.

That distinction matters this season. KAYAK says flight prices are higher this year but have followed patterns similar to 2025. Its recommendations depend on both historical booking windows and specific comparisons between travel dates. The savings figures are not blanket discounts across the holiday calendar.

Two one-way tickets deserve a price check

KAYAK’s largest potential international savings from buying two one-way tickets instead of a round trip were for Simpson Bay, St. Maarten, at 30%; Liberia, Costa Rica, at 23%; and Lima, Peru, at 20%.

Among domestic destinations, Washington, D.C., led at 29%, followed by Chicago at 28% and San Diego at 22%, according to the KAYAK report published by KRDO.

These findings give travelers a concrete comparison to make before committing. Search the round-trip itinerary, then price the outbound and return flights separately. The relevant number is the combined price of both one-way tickets, not whether one direction looks unusually cheap.

The destination list should guide that comparison rather than settle it. KAYAK does not provide departure-airport-specific fares or actual dollar prices in the report, so the percentages cannot establish what a particular traveler will save. Someone booking Liberia has a reason to check both ticket structures, not a guaranteed 23% reduction.

Also, keep the comparisons separate. The one-way-ticket findings measure ticket structure; the Thanksgiving and Christmas findings measure departure timing. The report does not establish a combined discount for using both approaches.

Thanksgiving: Compare the holiday with Nov. 20

For domestic Thanksgiving trips, KAYAK says airfare has historically reached a low around five weeks before the holiday, then climbed sharply within two weeks of departure. Its guidance is to have that flight booked before the end of October.

Departure timing offers another lever. Flying on Thanksgiving Day could save up to 19% domestically and 49% internationally compared with departing Nov. 20, which KAYAK identifies as the most expensive departure day in its Thanksgiving analysis.

The comparison is narrow but useful. Those percentages apply against Nov. 20, not every other possible departure date. If arriving on the holiday works, Thanksgiving Day belongs in the search. If it does not, the report’s largest advertised Thanksgiving savings may have little bearing on the trip.

KAYAK’s Thanksgiving dataset covers searches made April 1 through Sept. 1, 2026, for travel Nov. 20 through Nov. 29, 2026, from any U.S. airport. It compares those searches with the same search window in 2025 for travel Nov. 21 through Nov. 30, 2025. That scope helps explain why the findings are best treated as broad shopping guidance rather than live prices for an individual itinerary.

Christmas week can cost less than the week before

For Christmas travel, KAYAK reports that fares have historically dipped four to seven weeks before departure, describing the booking window as roughly mid-November through early December.

The company also says flying during Christmas week rather than the preceding week can save up to 18% domestically and 34% internationally. For travelers with room to shift their departure, that is a separate question from when to purchase: compare the two travel weeks before deciding when to book.

KAYAK’s Christmas analysis uses searches made April 1 through Sept. 1, 2026, for departures or stays between Dec. 17, 2026, and Jan. 6, 2027, from any U.S. airport. The comparison period runs from Dec. 18, 2025, through Jan. 7, 2026, using the corresponding 2025 search window.

The report also identifies lower average holiday-break fares than last year to destinations across Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean. KAYAK says some of the largest year-over-year airfare declines are on long-haul routes. That finding supports checking international options rather than assuming every holiday destination has become more expensive; it does not establish that those trips cost less than domestic alternatives.

A historical booking window is not a reason to wait blindly

There is a more cautious view of booking timing. The Points Guy recommends booking holiday flights as soon as possible rather than holding out for a decline. Its tracking with Points Path found holiday fares remained high but fairly consistent since August, without a major autumn surge so far. It also reported that both cash and award prices rose in the final weeks before last year’s holidays.

That advice differs from treating KAYAK’s historical low points as buying appointments. KAYAK describes past patterns; The Points Guy emphasizes the risk of waiting. Neither establishes that a specific fare available today will fall.

I would use KAYAK’s findings to widen the comparison, not to justify passing up an acceptable ticket solely because a historical window lies ahead. Compare ticket structures and departure dates first. Those are choices a traveler can test against available fares, while a future price decline remains uncertain.

KAYAK’s methodology defines flight prices, unless otherwise noted, as average round-trip economy fares. It also says percentage pricing changes are approximate, prices may vary and savings are not guaranteed. The report’s value is in showing where to look: separate one-way tickets, Thanksgiving Day departures and Christmas-week travel. The actual booking decision still rests on the price available for the trip you can take.