Here's the best time to book your Christmas flightIf you're planning a trip for mid-December, you're most likely to find some of the best deals on airfare in early October. According to a recent report from Google Flights, average prices for domestic flights tend to be lowest 71 days before departure.
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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.
“Those determined to avoid the summer crowds and heat may be planning to travel during the holidays, driving prices up,” said Ayoola. Holiday travel numbers are expected to resemble or surpass results from 2019, wrote Phil Dengler, co-founder and head of editorial and marketing of travel site The Vacationer.
In our experience, while fantastic deals can pop up at any time, the best time to book a flight (what we call the Goldilocks Window) is 1–3 months ahead for domestic travel and 2–8 months ahead for international travel—unless your trip is around a popular holiday or peak travel time, or you have very specific travel ...
Domestic airline prices are on the decline in 2023, finally retreating after spiking just a year ago. International fares are still high. After soaring in 2022, prices for domestic airline tickets are on the descent.
According to Going's analysis, travelers want to look for the so-called Goldilocks Window (not too early, not too late) to get the cheapest airfare. For domestic flights, Keyes said that's one to three months in advance for off-peak trips and three to six months for peak-season travel, such as Christmas and New Year's.
Domestic airfare is averaging around $400 round-trip, which is down 12% from last year. The cheapest day to depart will be Dec. 19, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Leaving on a holiday itself can save 26%.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest day to fly internationally. Meanwhile, international flyers would be wise to leave on Wednesdays, which are the cheapest day to depart for an international trip. That said, there isn't a huge difference in price across the different days of the week.
“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.”
Berg told TPG, We recommend using a price monitoring tool to get real-time updates on price changes to book at the right time. Most domestic trip airfare will fall between one and three months before your departure before rising rapidly in the last three to four weeks before takeoff, Berg said.
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.