The Best Day To Book Your Flight For Cheaper Travel
If you're a seasoned traveler, there's a good chance that you're already familiar with important tips like the best time to book a cruise for saving money and when to book your stay at an all-inclusive resort. When it comes to flights, surely, you've heard the age-old myth that claims Tuesday is the best day to book if you want to minimize your spending. It apparently came from when airlines used sophisticated algorithms when they adhered to regular ticket release schedules.
"If you were one of the first people to book your flight after they loaded the new fares, you might be able to get one of those very limited number of cheap fares available," travel expert Scott Keyes told The Washington Post. Interestingly, even though this Tuesday theory has long been regarded as a myth, it still has legs.
"Tuesday afternoons are the sweet spot for booking flights," travel blogger Yulia Saf explained to PopSugar. "Airlines typically release their weekend sale prices on Monday evenings, leading to price adjustments by competitors by Tuesday afternoon, resulting in discounted fares." Travel expert Stephanie Webb added that Tuesdays are the less frantic days for airlines and travel sites, which results in more wallet-friendly deals for travelers looking to economize their upcoming trips. It's not a guarantee, of course, but why not try your luck? Booking on a Tuesday could potentially stretch your dollar further, leaving you with more room for finding and booking budget accommodations and planning fun excursions.
Monday is also known as the prime time for booking
Mondays might get a bad rap, but when it comes to booking flights, they're not too shabby, ranking as the second-best day to lock down airfare. According to a 2024 study by Upgraded Points, which scrutinized over 44,000 of the busiest domestic routes across top U.S. airlines, it's best to secure stateside flights at the start of the week. Acting early can help you score the lowest average ticket price of $213.44 on a Monday, which falls ever so slightly to $213.31 on a Tuesday. Sure, the difference is just a handful of cents, but a penny saved is a penny earned, right?
If your travel plans are international, though, you might want to search even earlier — on Sunday, in particular. Per Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, which analyzed flights from the first eight months of 2023 on ARC's global airline sales database, booking Sundays boosts your chances of scoring a considerable bargain on your ticket — six percent on domestic and a whopping 13 percent on international flights. However, it's worth noting that even with these savings, the lowest average price for Sunday bookings for domestic flights stands at $224.66, about $10 more than if you waited until Monday or Tuesday. Whichever you choose, just remember to avoid starting your trip on a Sunday, as it's found to be the most expensive day to fly out, with Thursday being the cheapest, saving you an average of 16 percent.
Try to book within the 'Goldilocks window' for the cheapest fares
Ultimately, it's not really the day of the week that matters the most when it comes to scoring the cheapest flight tickets; it's more about how far ahead you'll book. Just like it's advisable to book an Airbnb in advance, timing is everything when securing flights. According to Keyes, you might want to find the "Goldilocks window." The sweet spot is apparently between one and three months for domestic trips and two and eight months for international. The exception? Peak travel seasons, where you might need to throw in an extra few months to avoid sky-high prices. "Most airlines start selling their flights 12 months ahead of travel," he explained to CNBC. "But if you book your flights a year in advance, the prices on those are generally not good."
If you're the type to procrastinate or your schedule doesn't allow for early bookings, Christie Hudson, the head of public relations for Expedia advises not to push it closer than 60 days to departure, lest you want to miss out on deals or be left with slim pickings for seat options. "We really recommend that 60-day window because that's when you're going to be able to save around 10 percent but you're also going to be far enough out that you can get the right route and the seat you want on that airplane," she told USA Today.