Hear us out: It might be time to book holiday flights already

Could this be the year to book your holiday flights extra, extra early? We think so.Sure, the calendar has only just flipped to August. A lot of us haven't even jetted off yet on our summer vacations.And it feels a little strange to be thinking about brining turkeys, decking the halls or hitting the ski slopes while much of the country battles stifling heat waves.But if you want to avoid holiday sticker shock in 2026, you might not want to wait much longer.Airfare is hitting passengers' wallets — with no signs of reliefAs you (and your wallet) probably know by now, airfare has skyrocketed over the past five months.The conflict in Iran has sent global oil prices surging. And airlines have been quick to pass on those higher jet fuel bills to passengers.By the numbers: In June, average ticket prices were up a whopping 27% over last year.And our first snapshot of the 2026 holiday season isn't looking real promising, either, according to fresh data this week from TPG's partners at Points Path:ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUYThanksgiving airfareAs of this week, round-trip domestic fares for Thanksgiving are running nearly 13% more expensive than 2025.Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newslet...