Flying home for Thanksgiving or Christmas is going to cost a lot more this year, which is bad news for holiday travelers.

• Thanksgiving round-trip domestic flights are up more than 30% from last year.
• Christmas flights cost even more than Thanksgiving ones.
• High fuel prices could push ticket prices up further in the coming weeks.
• Flying on the Monday before Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving Day itself tends to be cheaper, while the Tuesday and Wednesday before are the most expensive and crowded.
• For Christmas, flying on Christmas Eve usually means lower prices and lighter crowds than the five days before.

Outlook: Prices are likely to keep climbing as the holidays approach, so travelers who can book flexible dates or earlier flights stand a better chance of avoiding the worst fares and delays.