How Flight Costs to Disney World Are CHANGING for December 2022

If you’ll be heading to Disney World for the holiday season in December, you can expect big crowds, all kinds of holiday snacks, and special Christmas time events. But what can you expect when it comes to flight costs?

Will You Be Traveling Soon?

We’ve tracked flight costs over the past several months to see whether prices are increasing or decreasing. So what does December look like? Let’s break it down so you know what to budget for your trip.

Our Method

Every month we look at the average cost to fly to Disney World from select airports within the U.S. on select airlines. Your preferred airline or airport might not be included, so just keep that in mind!

When it comes to dates, we typically look for flights that leave on a Thursday and return on a Monday. For December 2022, we picked a trip that left on December 8th and returned on December 12th. This wasn’t the cheapest weekend but was also wasn’t the most expensive weekend in the month, so it provided a nice middle ground.

©Google Flights

The days around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, as well as days at the very start of the month, were more expensive, so just keep that in mind. Note that we used Google Flights to pick these dates and based it on flights from JFK and LGA (New York) to MCO (Orlando).

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

Your flight costs could vary dramatically depending on the airline you pick, the seats you buy, the dates you choose for your travels, and many other factors
We used Google Flights to get our flight prices (except for flights from Southwest Airlines)
Flight costs can change frequently
Other fees and taxes might be due when booking
For each “low” average cost, we looked for the least expensive departing and returning flights for that airline from that airport. For each “high” average cost, we looked for the most expensive departing and returning flights for each airline/airport.

Where Will You Fly to Next?

The departure times, layovers, and other things associated with these flights might not work with your plans
We only picked “Wanna Get Away” tickets for Southwest Airlines whenever available
We stuck to flights that arrive on the same day as their departure (when possible)
All prices are for 1 individual

Now, let’s take a look at those flight costs.

New York (JFK or LaGuardia)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $324.96 from LGA
Most expensive combination of flights: $655.95 from LGA

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $218 from LGA
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,614 from JFK

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $340 from LGA
Most expensive combination of flights: $762 from LGA

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $253 from LGA
Most expensive combination of flights: $788 from JFK

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $107 from LGA
Most expensive combination of flights: $430 from LGA

Orlando International Airport

Los Angeles (LAX)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $545.97
Most expensive combination of flights: $902.96

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $318
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,427

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $339
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,041

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $324
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,278

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $221
Most expensive combination of flights: $717

Travel can be expensive, be sure to budget appropriately!

Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $338.96
Most expensive combination of flights: $698.95

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $330
Most expensive combination of flights: $793

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $242
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,211

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $238
Most expensive combination of flights: $763

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $110
Most expensive combination of flights: $363

On the airline

Dallas (Love Field – DAL, or Fort Worth – DFW)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $300.96 from DAL
Most expensive combination of flights: $719.46 from DAL

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $318 from DFW
Most expensive combination of flights: $1,378 from DAL

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $347 from DFW
Most expensive combination of flights: $984 from DFW

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $333 from DFW
Most expensive combination of flights: $853 from DFW

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $138 from DFW
Most expensive combination of flights: $758 from DFW

Pack Your Luggage Carefully!

Atlanta (ATL)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $177.96
Most expensive combination of flights: $529.96

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $288
Most expensive combination of flights: $718

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $394
Most expensive combination of flights: $890

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $285
Most expensive combination of flights: $893

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $93
Most expensive combination of flights: $651

Are you planning a trip soon?

Denver (DEN)

Southwest:

Cheapest combination of flights: $484.96
Most expensive combination of flights: $827.96

Delta:

Cheapest combination of flights: $398
Most expensive combination of flights: $938

United:

Cheapest combination of flights: $296
Most expensive combination of flights: $971

American Airlines:

Cheapest combination of flights: $256
Most expensive combination of flights: $892

Spirit:

Cheapest combination of flights: $231
Most expensive combination of flights: $302

Mickey & Minnie Are Ready to Fly — Are You?

The Average Cost

When we average the low costs and high costs, it looks like the average cost to fly to Orlando in December (for the week we looked) is around $286.36 on the low end and $858.34 on the high end. Averaging those together it’s around $572.35.

So, how has that changed from what we’ve seen in recent months? Well, the lower-end cost is about $60 CHEAPER than what we saw in November and cheaper than what we saw in October, but it is more expensive than the lower-end average we saw in September.

Spirit Airlines Safety Documents

When looking at the higher end, the average cost for December is almost $200 CHEAPER than what we saw in November and also cheaper than what we saw several months before that.

But what does this look like compared to the costs for December 2021? Compared to prices from a year ago, airfare costs are slightly UP on both the low and high end ($280.36 and $801.49 from December 2021 compared to $286.36 and $858.34 from December 2022).

Overall, compared to last month, prices are down, but compared to a year ago we’re still seeing increased costs.

A Look at the Flight Costs

Of course, plane costs, fuel costs, and other factors could change things in the coming weeks. And remember that we picked a week that was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive in the month (according to the Google Flights calendar we looked at). If you travel on different days, your flight costs could vary dramatically.

What Now?

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what a flight to Disney World in December 2022 will cost. So what should you do now?

If you’re hoping to travel during this particular week (or another time in December) and you think the average costs are within your budget, you might want to take a closer look at the flights and get booking. You can also utilize apps or websites like Google Flights to track the travel you’re looking to book to see whether the cost is low, typical, or high at this moment, and see when costs could drop.

Want more airfare booking tips? Check out our posts below:

If you want to do some planning before your flight (or even on the plane!), check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining.

Take the DFB Guide Wherever You Go

We’ve compiled all of our BEST tips and tricks from years of Disney World travel into one eBook that you can download to your tablet or smartphone and take with you!