What day of the week is the best to buy airline tickets?

Booking on Friday will cost you more, and booking on Sunday can save you up to 15% on your airline tickets. But there are tons of ways to save even more on airline tickets instead of just waiting until Sunday to book your flights.



In 2026, data from major travel platforms indicates that Sunday is statistically the cheapest day to book airline tickets, offering potential savings of up to 15% to 20% compared to booking on a Friday or Monday. This shift is driven by airline pricing algorithms that reset over the weekend to capture leisure travelers. However, the old "Tuesday at midnight" myth has largely been debunked by 2026's dynamic, AI-driven pricing. While Sunday is the best day to buy, the best day to fly remains Wednesday or Thursday to avoid peak weekend surcharges. For the best 2026 results, travelers should monitor prices about 1 to 3 months in advance for domestic flights and 3 to 6 months for international trips, using "Price Drop" alerts to capitalize on the sporadic, short-lived deals that appear across all days of the week.

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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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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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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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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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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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The process is largely controlled by computer software and is increasingly being bolstered by AI, so price changes can happen at any second. That's why there's no specific time of day — or even a specific day of the week, for that matter — that's best for booking cheap flights.

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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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“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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More specifically, Tuesday at about 15:00 eastern time. This is because many airlines release weekly sales early on Tuesday, which creates competition between airlines to match prices.

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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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The cheapest months to travel are:
  • November – early December.
  • Late January – March.


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


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However, airlines say prices change not because of a consumer's search history on a website, or their cookies, but because of inventory updates or glitches on the website, FareCompare's Rick Seaney said in an email.

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Booking Searches Are Low It is quite obvious that based on searches, airlines vary their prices. At midnight, fewer people are willing to open sites and book tickets. This drops down the overall price of the ticket and you can get the ticket at a very affordable price by dialing 1-802-341-3403.

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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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