To complicate matters further, seasonality affects pricing as well – the data indicates that US travelers paid the highest economy fares in winter and the lowest in fall, so if you have flexible PTO, plan accordingly. Of course, there’s not a complete consensus on this front either, but the Expedia/ARC report found that the best day for an economy-class traveler to start a trip is Friday (for overseas travel, check Thursday departures as well), while ’s study declared Tuesday and Wednesday the least expensive days to fly, with average tickets costing $85 less than on Sunday. What are the best times to travel?Īnd finally, the best news: When you buy doesn’t matter as much as when you fly, so you’ll be ahead of the game if you can keep your dates loose. “There are obviously a lot of factors at play, but Skyscanner has found that savings can typically be found three to seven weeks out from the dates of travel,” says Randi Imas, the company’s head of communications for the Americas. The Expedia/ARC report also pushes for a long lead time, recommending that bargain-minded economy travelers book three weeks in advance for the lowest ATPs, and Skyscanner suggests a 21-day cut-off as well. Instead of zooming in on a specific day to shop, recommends booking within a window of 21 to 115 days ahead, depending on the season, with a domestic-flight sweet spot of 76 days before departure.
Though last-minute deals aren’t unicorn-level rare, you’ll likely get the best prices at least three weeks in advance. Now for the better news: you might not be able to predict price drops by day of the week, but if you pay attention to the calendar, you should be able to find bargains. The most recent Annual Airfare Study looked at 917 million airfares in over 8000 markets and found negligible cost differentials from day to day, with average lowest fares within $1 of each other. The 2019 Air Travel Outlook Report from Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), which tracked Average Ticket Prices (ATPs) and examined billions of data points to identify travel patterns, determined that it’s cheapest to buy economy flights (both international and domestic) on Sunday and most expensive on Thursdays and Fridays, but a competing report claims that the specific date of purchase may not actually have that much impact. Though standard wisdom indicates that midweek purchases tend to be cheaper – FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney doubled down on this advice, telling Barron’s that to find a sale fare, “the best time is Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.,” thanks to airlines’ price-matching adjustments – the reality may not be so straightforward. As it turns out, there’s not an easy answer to the industry’s million-dollar question, but we’ve combed through the latest data to bring you the information, tips, and tricks that’ll help you find those hidden-gem fares.įirst, the not-so-great news: if you’re strictly interested in the best day to hit the “buy” button, there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Cost-conscious travelers have always been obsessed with paying less for plane tickets, but as airlines consolidate, raise prices and fees, and slash amenities, gaming the system in search of a good deal has become a standard step in the booking process.
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