What time of day is cheapest to travel?

Early morning and late-night flights tend to be cheaper than midday flights. For example, the aforementioned September Delta flight costs $119 at 7 a.m. on a Saturday, but a 1:57 p.m. flight the same day costs $263—more than double the cost of the early morning flight.



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Flying at unpopular hours, such as the red-eye or early in the morning, instead of the late morning through afternoon, increases your chance of getting the best deal. Recent statistics showed that flights leaving before 09:00 are cheaper than any other time of the day.

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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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Mid-morning and early evening flights are often more expensive – though this trend isn't quite as set in stone as the cheapest days to fly. If you're looking to save, early morning, midday, or late-night flights can often be the cheapest time to fly.

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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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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.

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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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We found that travelers who search for flights on Tuesday at midnight save about 6% on their flights, making this the cheapest time of the week to book. In general, flights were slightly cheaper at midnight earlier in the week (Monday through Wednesday).

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Beyond delays and cancelations, early morning flights have the added perk of being less prone to turbulence. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, most thunderstorms tend to occur in the afternoon.

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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.

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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.

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Top 3 Cheapest Airlines in the US
  • #1 Frontier Airlines. What is the cheapest airline in the US? ...
  • #2 Spirit Airlines. ...
  • #3 Allegiant Air. ...
  • #4 Hawaiian Airlines. ...
  • #5 JetBlue. ...
  • #6 Alaska Airlines. ...
  • #7 United Airlines. ...
  • #8 American Airlines.


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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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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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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.

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Nighttime or morning flights are statistically better for turbulence, compared to those in the day. Although turbulence can't be completely avoided at night, winds are often weaker and thermal convection turbulence is less, making the chances of encountering turbulence reduced.

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According to CheapAir.com's 2018 Airfare study that looked at 917 million different flights listed on its site determined that for Europe it is best to book between 1.5 month and 8 months from your travel date (160 days before is the sweet spot) with July being the most expensive month to book and Monday, Tuesday and ...

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Some experts suggest purchasing your tickets on a Tuesday afternoon, while others insist that this technique might not produce the results you're after. Buying airfare at the stroke of midnight can yield a small amount of savings, say others, but it may not always be worth it to stay up late just to book a flight.

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