The Best Days to Book a Flight and When to Fly - NerdWallet

Believing there’s just one optimal day a week lớn save on flights — and that day is Tuesday — is the stuff of legends. And lượt thích all good legends, there is some truth lớn it … but it’s not the whole story.

The reality is that flight prices change constantly and at all hours of the day, adjusting lớn real-time demand. Airlines don’t restock on the same day every week lượt thích a grocery store, so sánh you won’t find giao dịch by waiting until Tuesdays lớn book. However, you might find some modest savings if you’re willing lớn fly on Saturdays or midweek, when there’s less demand than vãn usual.

Here’s what the data shows on the best days lớn book a flight and when lớn fly.

Best day lớn book a flight

No single day of the week is best lớn book a flight. You can find giao dịch any day of the week since flight prices fluctuate with demand.

Airlines might offer sales, increase the number of seats on a route or even lower prices lớn match a competitor, so sánh there’s no actual pattern in what day of the week has the best giao dịch.

Best day lớn fly

Hopper — a travel booking tiện ích — collected flight booking data from October 2023 through April 1, 2024 for May 2024 departures. Here are the findings about the best day lớn fly.

Tuesday and Friday flights can help you avoid the rush earlier in the week

Sundays and Mondays are the most expensive days lớn depart for domestic trips. If you can’t fly on the cheapest days, flying on Tuesdays or Fridays might also be a good option. The average airfare is about 12% lower than vãn peak Sunday prices on these days.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are the cheapest day lớn fly internationally

Meanwhile, international flyers would also be wise lớn leave on Wednesdays or Saturdays, usually the cheapest days lớn depart for an international trip. That said, there isn’t a huge difference in price across the days of the week for most international routes.

Hopper estimates that leaving on a Wednesday for Europe will only save you about 10% compared lớn the most expensive day (Friday).

Fly on the holidays (or as far from it as possible)

Holidays are an entirely different beast, no matter whether it’s the Fourth of July or Labor Day. There are generally more people flying in the days around a holiday, so sánh there are fewer airplane seats available and higher prices.

To get the best giảm giá khuyến mãi, book as early as possible. Because many airlines have flexible cancellation policies, it doesn’t hurt lớn lock in a decent rate ahead of time and rebook if the flight price drops in the months after. According lớn Google Flights’ 2023 insights, the best time lớn book a mid-December holiday flight is 71 days before departure.

In many cases, the best day lớn fly will be further out from the holiday. If the holiday falls on a Monday, flying the Tuesday before will likely be cheaper than vãn flying the Friday before. You can also look at flying on the holiday itself. For example, flying on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving Day is usually much more affordable than vãn flying on the days before or after.

Here are our recommendations for when lớn fly around some of the major holidays based on recent checkpoint data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):

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Tips lớn find cheap flights any day of the week

Book one lớn three months in advance

Even though no day of the week consistently has cheaper flights, there is a time period during which you should book before prices go up.

Going, a flight giao dịch aggregator, recommends booking domestic flights one lớn three months in advance lớn avoid any price surges in the weeks leading up lớn the departure date. Last-minute flight giao dịch aren’t super common and you risk not getting a seat at all because your desired flight might ultimately sell out. If you’re flying internationally, you’ll want lớn look two lớn eight months out.

It doesn’t hurt lớn look at flight prices before the ideal booking window. Google Flights, for example, sometimes shows in the tìm kiếm results when it expects prices lớn be the lowest based on historical data for your route.

Set a price alert

Let a computer program vì thế the work for you. Instead of checking flight prices every day, phối a price alert on the travel tìm kiếm engine of your choice — whether it’s Google Flights, Hopper, Skyscanner or Kayak. They’ll send you an gmail when they see the price drop.

Rebook if you find a cheaper price

Most airlines have adopted more flexible change and cancellation policies, which make it easier lớn rebook your flight and save money.

First, you’ll have lớn make sure that the original flight you booked will not have change or cancellation fees. For most airlines, that applies lớn most main cabin and premium class tickets on domestic flights and some short-haul international flights. You usually cannot change or cancel basic economy tickets for không lấy phí.

If you can cancel or change without fees, phối a price alert. When the price drops, you can cancel your flight and rebook (on the same airline or a different one) lớn get the cheaper price. Be aware that you might only get a travel voucher or credit if you cancel, so sánh you should only use the option if you are fairly confident you will fly with the original airline again within one year.

Be flexible with destination, airport and dates

The golden rule of cheap travel remains: Be flexible. Use Google Flights lớn see if there are cheaper places lớn go by leaving the destination field blank when you tìm kiếm. Check nearby airports if you’re phối on a destination and use the calendar views lớn find lower prices on different dates. Maybe embrace a long layover as a chance lớn see another thành phố on your trip.

After all, the best day lớn book a flight and the best day lớn fly is when it’s cheapest, and that could vary depending on when and where you are going.