What day of the week should you buy plane tickets?

Well, it really depends on a few factors. Generally, experts suggest that the best time to buy airline tickets online is on a Tuesday or Wednesday, as prices tend to be lower then. However, it's also important to keep in mind the time of year and any major holidays or events that might be driving up prices.



People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

The best day of the week to book a flight. Research suggests that the day you choose to book a flight affects how much you pay for it. According to Expedia's 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report, booking on a Sunday may save you up to 5% on the total cost of domestic flights and up to 15% on international flights.

MORE DETAILS

Flights are generally the most inexpensive between four months and three weeks before your departure date. Seasonal changes and holidays can create price fluctuations in ticket prices. The day of the week that you book a flight does not affect the price.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

It's not only important to know the best day to book flights – you'll also want to get familiar with the worst days to book. Friday and Saturday are the worst times to book a flight if you're trying to save money. ARC's 2023 report noted that Friday is the worst day to book flights, domestic and international.

MORE DETAILS

The reality is that flight prices change constantly and at all hours of the day, adjusting to real-time demand. Airlines don't restock on the same day every week like a grocery store, so you won't find deals by waiting until Tuesdays to book.

MORE DETAILS

And when you need to get somewhere far away on very short notice, you might be wondering, “Are same-day flights cheaper than booking in advance?” In general, same-day flights are cheaper than booking in advance, but it isn't always the case. Sometimes, booking a flight six months in advance might seem like a good idea.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

In the early days of online flight booking, airlines used to manually post their updated prices at a certain time of day each week. This led to the rise of the myth that the cheapest time to book a flight was on Tuesday (and specifically at 3am, many claimed).

MORE DETAILS

There's no sugarcoating it: Airfare is expensive. And while waiting until the last minute might sound like a good idea, it typically is cheaper to book your flights in advance. We are seeing fewer last-minute deals than in years past, especially when it comes to flights, a Kayak spokesperson tells Travel + Leisure.

MORE DETAILS

Travel Tuesday is the Tuesday after the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. It's a pretty recent phenomenon which can see consumers benefiting the most from extra discounts and deals when it comes to travel.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Tuesday was the clear winner with the least cancellations and the least flight delays, with Monday close behind. According to the study, the best days of the week to fly are Tuesday and Monday, and the worst days of the week to fly are Thursday and Friday.

MORE DETAILS

You can use travel agents, the true champions of negotiations, to fetch the best deals for you. You can even try bargaining directly with the airline's representative on the toll-free number. Be patient and polite, and ask them about the possibilities of getting the flight at a lower fare.

MORE DETAILS

The same report claims that you should book flights at 5am for the most potential savings, avoid booking flights between 8–11pm, and book on Tuesdays for domestic flights and Wednesdays for international flights.

MORE DETAILS

No, Tuesday isn't the cheapest day of the week to buy flights. In the early days of online flight booking, airlines used to manually post their updated prices at a certain time of day each week.

MORE DETAILS