Black Friday Sales: Are You Actually Getting a Good Deal on Flights?

If you’re like me, your inbox is probably a mess right now as every brand you’ve ever heard of is pinging you with Black Friday sales. And the airlines want some of your holiday spending, too. 

Every year, the airlines of the world unveil Black Friday sales. Sometimes they’re eye-rollingly called Black “Flyday” sales, and if you’ve ever signed up for an airline’s emails, those sale announcements or teasers are likely in your email inbox already. These sales typically extend through “Cyber Monday” and into “Travel Tuesday” – but it’s usually all the same deal. 

The problem is: Black Friday isn’t always the best day to find the cheapest fares. And in some cases, these airline “sales” can just be regular rates disguised as good deals. 

Tucked into some of these sales can be some good value, though. So it’s worth checking some of them out. We always vet every Black Friday sale that comes around to see if the savings are good enough for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, so if you’re a subscriber, you don’t have to worry about discerning these splashy promo pages. 

If you’re trying to figure out where to get the best deal and if you’re getting the best deal, use this guide. 

The Best Airline Black Friday Sales 

Black Friday sales seem to start earlier and earlier every year, and last longer, too. Airlines are no exception. Some airlines, like Singapore, Turkish, and TAP Air Portugal are well into their Black Friday promotions that will last weeks. Other airlines, like Aeromexico or Cathay Pacific, always run Black Friday promotions that start during Thanksgiving week. 

Either way, if you know where you want to travel in 2025, it’s worth checking out Black Friday sales to see if there’s something cheap. But not all sales are created equal. 

These are the sales we’ve found value in so far this Black Friday season. 

TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal’s Black Friday sale yielded dozens of amazing fares flying to Europe in 2025, including this lowest fare from Miami (MIA) to Madrid (MAD). 

The savings extended to many of TAP’s North American gateway cities, showing off fares in the $300s and $400s to tons of destinations. 

Turkish Airlines 

The best Turkish Airlines promotions come in the form of points and miles sales, and this latest sale is no different for travelers based in Boston (BOS). 

This deal was just a teaser for the Black Friday deal to come, so keep an eye out on Turkish’s website (or on your inbox, Premium subscribers) for more savings. 

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines kicked off its Black Friday sale by offering some outsized value on flights down to New Zealand (AKL) next year. 

The majority of the fares on this list were bookable through Alaska during this promo period that ends in early December.

ZipAir

ZipAir, the ultra-low cost carrier flying to and from Tokyo (NRT), is an amazing way to save on Asia flights if you’re aware of the taxes and fees. 

Thanks to promos like this one, you could find yourself flying to Japan next year for way, way less. 

If you add the cost of a carry-on bag each way, the lowest fare comes out to $577 roundtrip. Plus, you could find half-off fares from Vancouver (YVR) and San Francisco (SFO), too. 

Read our review of ZipAir 

All Black Friday Sales This Year (Good, Bad, and Meh)

Here are all of the Black Friday airline sales as of publication. We’ll do our best to update this list throughout the week. 

How to Determine if You’re Getting a Good Deal

Don’t take the airlines’ word for it that the price you’re seeing is a great deal. We never do. And we’re vetting all these sales for our members this week and every day of the year.

But even if you aren’t a subscriber, we all have access to this wonderful product called Google Flights. That’s how you’re going to find out if the fare you find is great. 

Here’s what you should do: 

1. Find the sale fare on the airline’s website

Dig into these sales to find some great value. Many of the promo fares will be showcased in bright colors or be next to the old fare that is crossed out. Other times, they’ll just blend right into the airline website. 

Either way, take a look around and see if you can make something work. Then find the lowest fare like this one from TAP Air Portugal. 

2. Double check with Google Flights

Next, you’re going to take the departure city, the destination city, and the dates from the promotional fare you found and put them right into Google Flights to see how it all compares. 

This is the beauty of Google Flights: The comparisons. Here, you can see that TAP Air Portugal is actually offering the best rates on your desired days between your desired two airports. 

But Google Flights will also show you that, for $120 more, you could fly nonstop. Is that worth it to you? It very well could be. 

Either way, you’re getting the full picture on Google Flights. So double-check!

Note: The best Black Friday promo fares won’t always show up on Google Flights. Some airlines, like Singapore Airlines for example, will only offer the best fares on their website and they aren’t searchable on Google Flights at all. 

It’s still important to check Google Flights, though! Even if the price doesn’t match the airline website, at least you’ll know that, and can compare with other airlines anyway. 

Bottom Line

Black Friday airline sales can hold outsized value for travelers, but many times they hold very little value at all. That’s why you have to check the so-called “sales” with Google Flights before you book. 

Many airlines want your holiday spending dollars during Black Friday, and discerning customers can get great value if they know where to look and how to check.