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This is when you should book your holiday flight for the best deal

Rising jet fuel prices and fewer trips are causing plane tickets to go up. Experts recommend booking your holiday flights now for the best deal.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you're planning a trip to grandma's house for Christmas this year, experts say now is the time to book your flights to find the best deal. 

Even though we haven't gotten to Halloween, airfare experts are warning holiday travelers should make their arrangements sooner rater than later if they're taking a plane for vacation. 

The folks at the airfare tracking app Hopper have forecast a busy and expensive holiday travel season with over half of Americans planning to travel over Thanksgiving, Christmas or both.

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Taking those trips won't come cheap. If you want to fly within the U.S. for Thanksgiving this year, round-trip tickets are averaging about $280. 

That's a 25% increase from last year, according to Hopper. It's even worse for Christmastime flights. Hopper says round-trip flights are averaging around $430, which translates to a 55% jump from last year's average ticket price. 

The latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has airfare up 33.4% year-to-date.

What's causing the increase in cost? Several factors, but the biggest one is an increase in the cost of jet fuel. Another contributing factor is more people wanting to travel with fewer flights being offered. 

If you have to fly for the holidays, experts recommend making those arrangements now to ensure you have a seat and the best price. Airfare will only go up as we get closer to the holidays. 

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