Using miles to fly for Thanksgiving? These are the most expensive and cheapest routes

Thanksgiving airfare trends for 2026 show elevated pricing compared with last year, with air travel during the Thanksgiving period continuing to be driven by broadly higher fares and sustained demand. CNBC’s report highlights that overall fare increases and persistent consumer interest in holiday travel are shaping the price environment, though the provided material does not include exact route lists, price points, or carrier-level specifics. The narrative centers on the general trend of rising Thanksgiving airfare rather than pinpointing particular routes or outcomes.

Additional reporting from Simple Flying adds context about ultra-long-haul operations in the current aviation landscape. The article notes that Qantas operates what it describes as the most demanding Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner network in the world, featuring five routes that exceed 8,000 miles in great-circle distance. The longest-long-haul pair cited is Perth to London, measured at roughly 9,010 miles (about 14,500 kilometers), with Perth to Rome listed around 8,300 miles (approximately 13,357 kilometers). This framing positions Perth as the starting point for these extended routes and emphasizes the scale of Qantas’s ultra-long-haul network.

Simple Flying further specifies that the Perth-to-London leg has required a fuel stop in Singapore on westbound flights, a consequence attributed to longer routing caused by restrictions in Middle East airspace. Beyond that operational note, the material does not provide additional technical or procedural details such as flight numbers, exact schedules, aircraft configurations, or in-flight service particulars for this route or the others in the five-longest list.

Together, the sources portray a pairing of two distinct threads: CNBC describes the broader macro trend of higher Thanksgiving airfares driven by demand and pricing, while Simple Flying zooms into a specific example of extreme-distance flying operated by Qantas, using Perth as a hub for a cluster of ultra-long-haul routes, with Singapore serving as a westbound fueling stop for one cited itinerary. Neither source furnishes further corroborating details about the others’ routes, dates, or outcomes, and no incidents or injuries are mentioned in relation to these reports.

In terms of geographic scope, CNBC’s piece appears to focus on the United States holiday period in general, without enumerating routes or carriers, while Simple Flying concentrates on long-haul international operations centered on Australia’s network through Perth, highlighting the extreme-distance character of five routes based on great-circle measurements rather than confirmed schedules. The material does not specify whether any of the mentioned ultra-long-haul flights are directly connected to Thanksgiving travel patterns or seasonal demand in the United States.

There is no information in the provided material about any accidents, emergencies, or incidents linked to the routes discussed. Likewise, there are no details about emergency response actions, investigations, or regulatory outcomes related to Thanksgiving travel or the described Qantas operations. The reports stop short of offering incident-led narratives, focusing instead on pricing trends and the existence of a long-haul flight network with substantial distance metrics.

Overall, the reporting from CNBC underscores a price environment for Thanksgiving travel that is higher year over year despite the absence of explicit route-level data, while Simple Flying highlights the extreme-distance capabilities of Qantas’s 787-9 network, anchored by Perth as a base and including routes that surpass 8,000 miles with at least one noted fueling stop due to airspace-driven routing. The combination of these elements presents a picture of both the financial pressures on holiday travel and the operational breadth of ultra-long-haul aviation without detailing specific flight numbers, dates, or event outcomes.