What are the worst days of the fly?

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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For easier leisure travel, consider Wednesday and Thursday, excludes Thanksgiving Weekend. Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays also come in as the cheapest days to fly, because they're not popular travel days.

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What is the best day to travel? The best day to depart on your trip is a Friday since you could save up to 26%. Expedia also recommends that you avoid departing on Sundays since this is the priciest day of the week, on average, to start a trip.

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Pick Your Days Trying to save money by traveling on a certain day of the week can be hit-or-miss with flights to Europe. It's often cheaper to fly mid-week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in particular, but sometimes you can get the same mid-week fare on a Saturday.

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Sleep Foundation notes that jet lag happens when we travel across three or more time zones. And, there's bad news for anyone traveling from the U.S. to Europe: jet lag is worse when you travel east than it is when you travel west. Why is this?

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Travel on Thanksgiving Day Across travel days for the week before and after Thanksgiving, the holiday was the lowest-traffic day every year over the past three years.

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Across travel days for the week before and after Thanksgiving, the holiday was the lowest-traffic day every year over the past three years. Book the first flight out for the day — a practice NerdWallet recommends anyway to reduce your odds of a flight delay — and you might even land in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

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During a healthy pregnancy, occasional air travel is almost always safe. Most airlines allow you to fly domestically until about 36 weeks of pregnancy. Your ob-gyn can provide proof of your due date if you need it.

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Saturday and Monday flights can help you avoid the Sunday rush. Saturdays and Mondays are the next cheapest days to fly after midweek flights. The average airfare is about 13%-15% lower on these days.

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Saturday is usually the cheapest weekend day to fly. That does not mean you cannot find great flight prices on the other days of the week. It just means your odds of finding cheap airfare on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are higher than the rest of the week.

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While it all comes down to your preferences, daytime flying has the upper hand when it comes to visibility. Because of the sunlight, any possible obstructions, such as rocks or mountains, are far easier to spot, making the likelihood of accidents much less and daytime flying the safer option by far.

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Average domestic airfare price by day
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly domestically.
  • Saturday and Monday flights can help you avoid the Sunday rush.
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest day to fly internationally.
  • Book one to three months in advance.
  • Set a price alert.


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Beyond delays and cancelations, early morning flights have the added perk of being less prone to turbulence.

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Winter has higher winds, blizzards and more clear air turbulence. Spring has fast-moving fronts and high winds, causing severe squall lines. Each of these events can cause turbulence.

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Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be the busiest travel days of the year, but other holidays like Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day also see some of the highest volumes of air passengers.

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The myth has been going around for years, but the truth is that flight prices don't go down on Tuesdays. To be fair, they did at one point in time, and savvy travelers could score a great deal late on a Tuesday night.

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Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remains the busiest airport in the world with 5.2 million seats in September 2023. The composition of the Global Top 10 Busiest Airports is also the same as last month but there are a few changes to the rankings.

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Scheduling your departure flight earlier in the week and your return flight later in the week could help you save. Likewise, flying on Christmas itself is sometimes cheaper. You can also look at some of the less desirable times—early morning, late night, and red eye flights—that often cost a bit less.

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How long jet lag lasts will depend on several factors. These include how far you traveled, your body's unique rhythms and your overall health. Many people who experience jet lag feel better a few days after arriving to their destination. For some people, it can take up to one week to feel fully back to themselves.

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Try to Sleep During the Flight
One of the best ways to minimize jet lag is to try and sleep during the flight. Using earplugs, eye masks, or noise-cancellation headphones helps to block out light and noise.

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Limit naps in the days following your arrival. If you need it, taking a short nap can help you stay awake during the day. But napping for more than 30 minutes can keep you from falling asleep at night. Try to stay awake until your normal bedtime and get up on time the next day.

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The Help of Lights When Flying at Night. Planes have headlights so that pilots can see what is in front of them. Unfortunately, they are only effective during takeoffs and landings. Even with the slight illumination offered by the headlights, only darkness is visible when looking out the front window of a cockpit.

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It might be surprising to learn that turbulence is actually worse in the daytime. In the early morning and night time, wind speeds typically reduce, and thunderstorms clear up. Avoid turbulence and catch up on some sleep by choosing flights with an early morning or red-eye departure!

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