TULSA, Okla. — Holiday travel costs rise as fewer Americans plan trips this season despite the TSA showing record travel numbers throughout 2025.
At Tulsa International Airport, seat capacity has increased slightly for the 2025 holiday period. The airport will offer 84,008 outbound seats from December 20, 2025, to January 4, 2026, representing a 1% increase from the 83,280 seats available during the same period last year.
A new Bankrate survey reveals that fewer Americans are planning to travel during the upcoming holiday season compared to last year.
The survey defines holiday travel as taking a flight or paying for accommodations, excluding car trips or stays with friends and family.
"21% of U.S. adults tell us that they're going to be traveling this holiday season, that's down from 27% a year ago," said Ted Rossman, Bankrate financial analyst.
The study identified specific demographics less likely to travel this holiday season: men, Gen Z adults, and parents with small children.
Despite the decline in travel intentions, 2025 has seen record-breaking travel numbers through the first nine months of the year, with the TSA processing more passengers per day than in 2024.
Rossman attributes this apparent contradiction to spending patterns among high earners.
"Moody's says the top 10% of earners are accounting for 50% of all spending. That's an all-time high. That likely explains a lot of the travel boom this year," Rossman said.
For travelers looking to save money on holiday trips, experts recommend several strategies:
- Pack light to avoid checked baggage fees and set up flight and room price alerts to catch the best deals.
- Be flexible with travel dates and times.
"If you fly on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, that's a lot cheaper than the 22nd or the 23rd," Rossman said.
Use credit card rewards points. Bankrate found that about 25% of cardholders didn't redeem any rewards last year, leaving money on the table.
For the 63% of travelers using credit cards to pay for trips, paying balances in full is crucial to avoid interest charges that could eliminate savings from holiday deals.
Additional money-saving tips include:
- bringing snacks from home to avoid expensive airport food
- consider using public transportation to and from the airport to reduce parking costs
- check to see if your credit cards already include travel insurance before purchasing separate coverage
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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