How early should you book a flight for best price?

How far in advance should you book a flight to get the best deal? The best time to book a flight is one to three months before your departure for domestic airline tickets and two to eight months prior for international flights.



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The general rule is that for domestic flights, travelers should start searching for flight tickets one to three months in advance. For international flights, the best prices are typically available from two to eight months in advance. Prices can also vary widely among airlines.

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Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date.

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Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly domestically. The cheapest days to depart if you're flying within the U.S. are midweek — generally Tuesday or Wednesday. For economy tickets, Tuesdays are about 24% lower than peak prices on Sundays, which translates to savings of about $85 per ticket.

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Tuesday Around Midnight is the Cheapest Time to Book
In general, flights were slightly cheaper at midnight earlier in the week (Monday through Wednesday). However, this is only applicable to about 1.6% of U.S. markets, meaning that it's not likely you'll find the same savings on your specific route.

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At midnight, fewer people travel and there is low last-minute reservation so to fill them, they release multiple offers. With these discounts, you can set aside some amount.

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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.

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How often do airlines update airfare information online? The airlines update fare information 3 times a day. They do not necessarily change airfare prices all three times, but they certainly can, and often do.

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Time your booking right
“For domestic flights, if you're talking peak season, it's about three to seven months in advance,” he says. “For international flights — [it's] four to 10 months.”

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The reality is that last-minute offers just don't come around as often as travelers may think. Going.com's advice: “Generally speaking, waiting until the 11th hour to book airfare isn't going to save you money. After about the three-week mark, prices rise significantly, no matter the route.”

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Flights typically open for booking 331 days in advance, and from then until about 21 days before departure, the price is the least expensive you'll find — after which they raise ticket prices at 14 days, and again at seven days. Research shows that the sweet spot for finding low fares is 44 days before your flight.

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He explained: If you're travelling domestically, the Goldilocks Window for when you're most likely to see a cheap flight is 1-3 months before flying. For international flights, it's 2-8 months in advance. This changes if you are wanting to travel during a busy time of year.

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Is there a cheapest month to fly? If you're looking for a bargain month to travel, February is your best bet. Flights in January closely follow February for being most affordable. At the other end of the spectrum, December and July are the first and second most expensive months to travel, on average.

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Generally, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days to fly, while Fridays and Sundays are pricier, according to travel deal site FareCompare. Leisure travelers tend to fly on the weekends, either starting their vacations on Friday or taking a long weekend Friday to Sunday.

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In the past, you may have heard that the secret best time to buy plane tickets was Tuesday at midnight, but according to Hayley Berg, lead economist for travel deals app Hopper, that's not always the case. “We found that this was only applicable to 1.6% of routes and yielded savings of 6%,” she says.

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For domestic flights in March and April, Google said, prices are typically lowest 23 to 59 days before departure, hitting their lowest price 38 days out. Summer vacation. For domestic flights in July or August, prices are typically lower 14 to 44 days out, hitting rock bottom 21 days before takeoff.

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The concept of booking your flight on a specific day to save a bit of money has become one of the most common pieces of quasi-advice among travelers. But the popular travel myth might be just that — a myth — as flight prices these days depend on demand, not the day of the week.

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Fares can vary day-to-day, based on demand. 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.

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“Despite many reports claiming Tuesday or Wednesday mornings are the best time to book flights, there is no evidence of that being true,” explains Phil Dengler, founder of TheVacationer.com. “Cheap flight prices are available 24/7, so you should not limit yourself to a particular day or time.”

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