Airfare is more expensive than last Thanksgiving, but cheaper than the Fourth of July

The average round-trip domestic airfare is $386 this Thanksgiving, reports Travelocity. This is an increase of about $30 from last year’s tickets, but $5 cheaper than airfare over the Fourth of July.

There is some disagreement among booking sites whether holiday airfares have indeed increased year over year. Orbitz also reports that holiday airfares are cheaper than last year, but by only 5 percent compared to Travelocity’s 9 percent estimate. Priceline reported that the average domestic airfare this Thanksgiving is $393, a $9 increase over last year.

As usual, the easiest way to save on flights during the holidays is to travel on off-peak dates. Travelocity and Priceline agree that travelers flying on Thursday, November 22, and returning home on Friday, November 23, or Tuesday, November 27, can save up to $288.

Booking sites’s other Thanksgiving travel suggestions include booking a vacation package to combine airline and hotel costs, searching for flights out of smaller airports, and avoiding checked luggage fees.