The Best Times to Book the Cheapest Airline Tickets

Everyone loves a good deal, especially when it comes to travel. People across the globe have been traveling more often coming out of the pandemic. Not only this but research has shown that people are even willing to pay more to travel, splurging extra for premium services among others.

Regardless, it's never a bad thing when you manage to score a cheap airline ticket. Today, we will look at the best times to score the best deals when booking flights.

The Best Day

Previously, it was held that Tuesdays were the best days to book flights. This was because ten years ago, airlines would generally launch sales on Tuesdays and other carriers would quickly try to match those prices. However, this is not really the case anymore.

Nowadays, the cheapest day to book flights is Sunday according to a 2023 study by Expedia. The study compared Sunday ticket prices to Friday and found that travelers can save 6% on domestic flights and 13% on international flights.

However, a study conducted in 2022 by Google found that ticket purchases on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays resulted in 1.9% savings. 

This seems like conflicting information and, to be honest, it really depends on how you interpret this information. Google concluded its 2022 study by stating, "there isn't much value in purchasing your tickets on a certain day of the week."

How Far in Advance?

It's common knowledge that you won't find great deals when booking flights one to two weeks in advance. At least, not usually.

Expedia's aforementioned 2023 study found that travelers should ideally book around 60 days out and no earlier than four months in advance for international travel.

The study found that following these steps will save travelers an average of 10%.

It's important to distinguish which types of international flights are better to book in advance. If traveling from the United States or North America, flights to Europe are generally cheapest around 129 days out. However, you could find good deals between 50 to 179 days before departure.

This is different when it comes to travel between North America and Mexico or the Caribbean. Given the shorter distance between these regions, flights in this area do not require much advance booking. The study found that flights booked 59 days before departure were the best, however, the lowest fares were found between 37 and 87 days in advance.

When it comes to domestic flights, Expedia's study found the best deals around 28 days before departure. Here, travelers can save 24% compared to those who wait until closer to their travel dates. Prices bottomed out around 44 days before departure but, overall, don't choose to wait until the last minute.

Many travel search engines offer a feature called "price tracking". If you choose this option, the search engine will track flight prices for your desired destination and dates of travel. You will receive email notifications when the search engine detects that the prices have dropped significantly or are holding at a decent price.

This is a great strategy to use if planning travel a few months in advance and you're not sure when to click "book trip".

There is no one correct way to book flights. As long as you follow the general rule of thumb of booking one to two months in advance for domestic flights or those to the Caribbean, and two to six months in advance for long-haul flights, you will more likely than not score some great deals.