This week Delta, TWA and US Airways announced special rates for travel during Christmas and New Year's

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Thanksgiving is just around the corner, marking the official start of the holiday travel season. If you're planning a trip, you'll definitely find crowds, but you'll also discover some deals on airfare.

The Air Transport Association predicts the busiest Thanksgiving travel days will be Sunday and Monday following the holiday, with planes almost 90 percent full. Wednesday before the holiday will also be a peak travel day.

Beyond that -- between the holidays -- is a roller coaster of pricing.

"What's interesting about the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is that it's really a time when there are a lot of peaks and valleys regarding pricing for airfare, car rental and hotel deals," said CNN business travel consultant Chris McGinnis. "Sometimes you can find great deals, sometimes you can find extremely inflated prices, so you really have to be careful traversing the terrain during this period of time."

Now is the time to buy plane tickets for December travel, as airlines begin to announce holiday deals.

This week Delta, TWA and US Airways announced special rates for travel during Christmas and New Year's. Fares are based on the number of miles traveled. For the best deals plan to depart on Christmas Eve or day and return New Year's Eve or day.

Other airlines are expected to follow suit.

The New Year might begin with low fares to Europe

The New Year could begin with better fares to Europe.

"You can fly right now from the East Coast to London for as low as $289 round-trip," says Bob Diener, president of the Hotel Reservations Network. "(Right now) it's cheaper to travel to London than it is coast to coast."

And it may get cheaper to travel within Europe. British Airways announced Monday it will be launching a low-cost carrier serving cities in Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, France and Germany, with flights departing from London's Stansted Airport in mid-1998.

On a final note, if you'll be outside the United States next week, you can still get a Thanksgiving dinner. Thirteen Marriott and Renaissance hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia are offering turkey dinners for homesick expatriates.

Based on a report from CNN's Business and Travel and Beyond. The segment appears Monday through Friday on Daybreak at 5:30 AM (ET) and on Early Edition at 7 AM (ET). BT&B also airs Sundays on the World Today at 10 PM (ET).

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Related sites:

• Air Transport Association
• Delta
• TWA
• US Airways

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