What's The Cheapest Day To Book Flights | Bankrate (2024)

Key takeaways

  • The price of your flight depends on a variety of factors, not just the day you book it and the day you fly out.
  • However, data from Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report shows that consumers can save money by booking on Sundays and flying out on Thursdays.
  • To help you save even further, consider using co-branded airline credit cards or travel rewards credit cards that earn miles with every trip you take.

When it comes to the cheapest days to book flights, you should know there’s no single rule that applies all the time. In fact, so many factors go into the cost of flights that it’s hard to know what prices will be from one day to the next, let alone over the course of a year or on any given day of a single month.

That said, there are some recognizable patterns when you look at the costs for airfare over a long enough timeline, and some organizations have done studies to find out the cheapest day of the week to book flights. This includes Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, which used actual flight data to help consumers decide on the most affordable times to book airfare or fly the friendly skies within the U.S. or overseas.

If you’re hoping to save on airfare this year and are curious when you should book and which days of the week to fly, read on to learn more.

Cheapest day of the week to book a flight

So, what is the cheapest day to book a flight? In order to find out, Expedia used data compiled by the Airlines Reporting Corporation, which has information on 15 billion flights across 490 airlines.

While the cheapest day to actually pay for airfare can vary from one week to the next, Expedia data shows consumers who book airfare on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save approximately 5 percent on domestic and international economy class flights. For domestic business class flights, consumers can expect to save around 7 percent, and for international business class flights, consumers can expect to save around 24 percent.

Expedia also notes that Sunday was the cheapest day to book flights in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but savings rates have varied year to year.

If you want to save more, data from Expedia’s report shows you should book domestic flights at least a month in advance to save an average of 24 percent compared to those who booked last-minute.

Meanwhile, booking international airfare around 60 days out tends to yield the best results, with Expedia data showing savings of around 10 percent for those who booked around that time. However, because average ticket prices peaked around four months out from departure, they also recommend booking no earlier than four months out. This is a clear change from Expedia’s 2023 report, which recommended booking international flights around six months out from departure date.

Most affordable day of the week to travel

While booking your flight on a Sunday helps you get the lowest price, actually flying on a Thursday may help you save an average of 16 percent off airfare. Data shows that, almost across the board, travelers who flew on Thursdays instead of Sunday saved this much on both domestic and international flights.

However, consumers flying domestically can also see significant savings of around 13 percent if they fly out on Saturday instead of Sunday.

What factors impact flight prices?

A range of factors can impact the cost of flights, but most of it boils down to supply and demand. For example, costs for airfare tend to be less expensive during off-peak season to any destination, whereas prices surge during peak travel times when demand is higher.

Fuel costs can also impact flight costs, along with the cost of labor, labor shortages and other underlying issues for airlines. Ultimately, airlines use complex algorithms to determine pricing for their fares, and these factors are just part of the equation.

Tips for finding cheap flights

To get the best deal on domestic or international airfare in 2024, you should:

  • Book airfare on Sunday. As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays.
  • Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekend days.
  • Set price alerts. Use a tool like the app Hopper to set up price alerts that notify you when airfare prices drop significantly, or when their technology says it’s the cheapest day to book. Expedia also offers Price Drop Protection in their app for a fee or for free if you’re a Gold or Platinum tier One Key member. If you book a flight that becomes cheaper later on and you have Price Drop Protection, Expedia will refund you the difference.
  • Avoid peak travel times. Not only can traveling off-peak help you score significant savings on airfare and hotels, but Expedia data shows that off-peak travel comes with fewer cancellations and delays overall. Booking early morning flights as opposed to afternoon flights will also make it less likely for you to see delays.
  • Earn airline miles. Consider signing up for frequent flyer programs that let you book airfare with miles you earn for flying and other activities. You can also start racking up miles for airfare with a co-branded airline credit card or travel credit card.

The bottom line

The cheapest days to book flights may be different from one week to the next, and the same is true for the day you actually travel. However, taking a full view of the data shows that some travel dates tend to be less expensive on the booking end and the traveling end — at least most of the time.

Arming yourself with this information is one of the best ways to save on airfare over the long run, but it’s not the only way. If you combine savvy shopping with a huge stash of airline miles, you can pay even less for airfare all year long.

Learn more: Check out Bankrate's travel toolkit for tips and tricks on how to maximize travel with a credit card.

What's The Cheapest Day To Book Flights | Bankrate (2024)

FAQs

What's The Cheapest Day To Book Flights | Bankrate? ›

Google Flights agrees. On average, flights on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are 12% cheaper than those on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Do flight prices go down on Tuesday? ›

Google Flights agrees. On average, flights on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are 12% cheaper than those on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Which day is the cheapest to book a flight? ›

While Tuesday is the cheapest day to book a flight in general, this is not the case for all airlines. In fact, Sunday is the best day to book a flight with American Airlines, JetBlue, and United Airlines.

What time is best to book cheap flights? ›

The best time to book airfare is within a window of 21 to 74 days before you plan to fly, and the cheapest tickets are generally on mid-week flights. You can also save if you use an airline miles credit card to book flights that help you earn miles or points toward future air travel.

What is the most expensive day to book flights? ›

Which day of the week delivers the lowest price for airline tickets? Per this latest study, the early-workweek bird snags the cheapest fare. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher writes about travel trends and news.

Should I wait until Tuesday to book a flight? ›

No single day of the week is best to book a flight. You can find deals 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 to match a competitor, so there's no actual pattern in what day of the week has the best deals.

What is the best day to buy a plane ticket? ›

While booking your flight on a Sunday helps you get the lowest price, actually flying on a Thursday may help you save an average of 16 percent off airfare. Data shows that, almost across the board, travelers who flew on Thursdays instead of Sunday saved this much on both domestic and international flights.

Is it better to buy airline tickets in the morning or evening? ›

Best Time of Day to Book Flights

Before airline revenue management systems were automated, there might've been a specific "drop time" when an airline would change fares. But given the dynamic pricing model, airfare can change at any moment. So there's truly no reason to look for flights at a specific time of day.

Do flight tickets get cheaper closer to the date? ›

There's a long-standing travel myth that flights get cheaper as the departure date nears because airlines desperately lower the price to fill more seats. But airlines tend to save their highest fares for last-minute purchasers, especially on popular routes.

When to buy cheap flight tickets? ›

“If it's an off-peak season — not middle of summer, Christmas or New Year's — then booking about one to three months in advance is typically when cheap flights have the highest likelihood of popping up,” he said. “When you're talking about international travel, two to eight months in advance.”

What is the cheapest airline to fly? ›

JetBlue, Frontier and Spirit often have cheap flights, while airlines like United Airlines and American Airlines also offer domestic flight deals. According to an analysis by the AirAdvisor website, Frontier Airlines is the cheapest airline, since it records the lowest total passenger revenue per seat mile.

How often do plane tickets change price? ›

Our analysis shows that flight prices go through a weekly cycle. Typically, the lowest prices are made available earlier in the week, and the highest prices are offered later in the week. This is why the answer to the question, “When do flight prices go down?” is sometimes… a Tuesday!

What day of the week do flight prices drop? ›

Tuesdays may not be favorable for booking, but if you're hoping to score major savings, booking your departure on a Tuesday or Wednesday is a surefire way to do so. Mid-week flights offer the best deal prices in comparison to flights departing the rest of the week.

How far in advance should you book a flight to get the best deal? ›

A new study is solving the eternal question of when to book your flight for the best price. According to CheapAir.com's Annual Airfare Study, booking a ticket at least three weeks before departing, and no more than 2.5 months in advance, is the sweet spot for snagging the best flight deal.

What day usually has the cheapest flights? ›

Turns out the cheapest days to fly are midweek. Think Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which can be anywhere from 12 to 20% cheaper. Cheaper days to fly. There's also cheaper times to book for flights.

How far out should I book a flight? ›

A good rule of thumb is to start looking roughly 6 months before your specific travel dates, and not wait much later than 3 months before you're planning to get into the skies.

What is the cheapest day of the week to fly on Delta? ›

Fares are usually lower on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and highest on Fridays and Sundays. Flights later in the evening are also usually lower demand. Search nearby area airports. Low fares sold out at one airport, may be available at another nearby airport.

Are Spirit flights cheaper on Tuesdays? ›

Flights at low-demand times, like late evening or very early morning, tend to be inherently cheaper. But almost all ticket prices usually drop slightly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and rise on Fridays and Sundays. Here are a few of the airlines participating in Travel Tuesday 2023: Spirit Airlines.

Can your flight price be increased after you have paid and booked your flights? ›

Yes it is possible for the price of the ticket to go up between the time you paid and it is ticketed, even though you have made a booking.

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