What is the cheapest day to book a flight?

Tuesday or Wednesday, about 6 to 8 weeks before departure for domestic flights.

  • Airlines post sales Monday night, cheapest fares often appear Tuesday at 3 PM ET
  • Avoid booking on weekends, prices are typically 10 to 20% higher
  • Domestic flights: book 6 to 8 weeks out for best prices
  • International flights: book 3 to 6 months out
  • Last minute (under 2 weeks): prices spike unless seat is unsold

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Want a deeper dive? ↓

Detailed Answer

How It Works

Airlines use dynamic pricing algorithms that change fares hundreds of times per day based on demand, competition, and seat availability. There is no single guaranteed cheapest day, but patterns exist that give you a consistent edge when booking.

Most major airlines release discounted fares and sale seats on Monday evening. Competing airlines typically match those prices by Tuesday afternoon. This creates a short window, usually Tuesday between 1 PM and 5 PM Eastern Time, where you are most likely to find the lowest available fare on a given route.

The day you fly also matters as much as the day you book. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are consistently the cheapest travel days. Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive because of business and leisure demand peaks.

What You Need to Know

  • Best day to book: Tuesday or Wednesday for most routes
  • Best time to book on those days: 1 PM to 5 PM Eastern Time
  • Domestic US flights: sweet spot is 6 to 8 weeks before departure
  • International flights: sweet spot is 3 to 6 months before departure
  • Peak season international (Christmas, summer): book 6 to 9 months out
  • Cheapest days to fly: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
  • Most expensive days to fly: Friday, Sunday, Monday
  • Weekend booking (Saturday and Sunday): fares average 10 to 20% higher than midweek
  • Last minute fares: occasionally cheap on Tuesday or Wednesday if seats go unsold, but high risk

How Far in Advance Should You Book

  • Domestic US: 6 to 8 weeks out is the sweet spot, prices rise sharply inside 3 weeks
  • Europe from US: 3 to 5 months out for the best transatlantic fares
  • Asia from US: 4 to 6 months out, especially for Japan, Thailand, and South Korea
  • Caribbean and Mexico: 2 to 4 months out for most routes
  • Holiday travel (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year): book 4 to 6 months out minimum
  • Summer peak season: book by February or March for June, July, and August flights

Real Traveler Experiences

"I always set a Google Flights price alert and wait for Tuesday afternoon. I have saved anywhere from $40 to $200 on the same route just by being patient."  Reddit r/travel

"Booked a New York to London flight on a Sunday and paid $980. Checked again Tuesday and the same seat was $760. I had no idea weekends were that much more expensive."  Flyertalk forum

"Set a Hopper alert for a flight to Tokyo in March. It told me to wait. I waited two weeks, price dropped $180. Best travel app I have ever used."  Reddit r/solotravel

Best Tools for Finding Cheap Flights

  • Google Flights: best overall for price tracking and flexible date calendars, free
  • Hopper: predicts whether to buy now or wait based on price trends, excellent for indecisive bookers
  • Skyscanner: strong for international routes and comparing budget carriers
  • Kayak: good for setting price alerts and comparing multiple booking sites at once
  • Scott's Cheap Flights (now Going): email alerts for mistake fares and flash sales, paid subscription but regularly finds 40 to 60% off deals

Pro Tips

  • Use Google Flights flexible date calendar to see the cheapest days in a month at a glance before committing to dates
  • Set price alerts on at least two platforms so you catch drops from different sources
  • Book directly with the airline after finding the price on a comparison site, avoids third-party booking fees and makes refunds easier
  • Clear your browser cookies or use incognito mode when searching, some sites raise prices after repeated searches on the same device
  • Flying into a nearby secondary airport (Newark instead of JFK, Midway instead of O'Hare) often saves $50 to $150 on the same route
  • Avoid booking on public holidays, airlines know people are browsing and prices reflect that

Related Questions

Sources

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