How soon in advance should I buy plane tickets?

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. ?We call these the 'Goldilocks windows,'? Scott Keyes, founder of Going.com, tells AFAR.



For 2026 travel, the "sweet spot" for booking domestic flights in the U.S. is generally 1 to 3 months (28–61 days) before your departure. Data from 2026 indicates that booking too early (more than 6 months out) or too late (less than 3 weeks out) usually results in higher fares. For international travel, you should plan further ahead, ideally booking 2 to 8 months in advance. If you are traveling during "peak" windows like the July 4th weekend, Thanksgiving, or the Christmas holidays, the rules change; you should start monitoring prices in mid-October and aim to book at least 50 days before the holiday. For 2026 travelers, utilizing "Price Trackers" like Google Flights is highly recommended, as they can alert you to sudden "fare drops" that often occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when airlines adjust their inventory based on real-time demand.

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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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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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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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But even compared to pre-pandemic prices, airfares are lower. Average U.S. airfares are more than 6.5% lower in September 2023 than they were in September 2019, meaning prices aren't just lower than they were last year, but even lower than what they were pre-pandemic.

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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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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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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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World's Best Low-Cost Airlines 2023
  • AirAsia.
  • Scoot.
  • IndiGo.
  • Flynas.
  • Volotea.
  • Transavia France.
  • Sun Country Airlines.
  • Southwest Airlines.


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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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Observed on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (also the charitable day of Giving Tuesday, for what it's worth), Travel Tuesday aims to sling travel deals with the same sort of once-a-year urgency as its more established holiday-shopping counterparts.

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By almost all metrics, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is pretty much the worst day of the year to fly. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, it was the busiest single day of the entire year in terms of U.S. passengers, based on TSA passenger data.

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While there can be a fair amount of price fluctuation several months before travel, once you get within a few weeks of your flight, that airfare is very unlikely to come down. The reality is that last-minute offers just don't come around as often as travelers may think.

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Moreover, peak travel seasons and major holidays can also cause a surge in ticket prices due to increased demand. Understanding these elements can help passengers strategize their flight bookings for cost efficiency. National average cost of a domestic plane ticket is $382 dollars as of Q1 2023, according to the BTS.

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Why are flights so expensive in 2023? Flights cost even more in early 2023 than they do now. Factors such as fuel costs, staffing shortages, aging IT infrastructure and hidden fees all contribute to expensive flights in 2023.

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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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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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How far in advance should you book flights? Passengers pay the lowest price, around 6% below the average fare, if they buy their tickets six weeks before their flight. That's the golden rule thousands of travel blogs and articles swear by.

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