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Ask ten travelers when to buy plane tickets and you will hear ten different rules. Some swear by Tuesday at midnight, others say prices drop the week before departure. Most of those rules are myths left over from the days when airlines loaded new fares once a week. Today fares change constantly, driven by computers that watch demand seat by seat.
The good news: a few patterns still hold up year after year, and they can make a real difference to what you pay. This guide covers the cheapest days of the week to fly, how far ahead to book, and which months are cheapest for US travelers.
The cheapest days of the week to fly
The day you fly matters far more than the day you buy. Airlines price each flight on how full it is likely to be, and demand follows a weekly rhythm:
- Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the cheapest days to depart. Business travelers fly out on Monday and home on Thursday or Friday, and leisure travelers want long weekends, so midweek flights have the most empty seats.
- Saturday is often cheap too, especially for domestic flights. Few business travelers fly on Saturday, and many vacationers prefer to leave on Friday.
- Friday and Sunday are usually the most expensive. Sunday afternoon and evening is when weekend travelers and Monday-morning business travelers all head home.
The same logic applies to time of day. The first flight of the morning (often before 7 a.m.) and late-evening flights tend to be cheaper than flights at popular midday and after-work times. Early flights are also delayed less often, because delays build up as the day goes on.
Does the day you book matter?
Not much. The old "book on Tuesday" advice came from airlines filing new sale fares early in the week. Fares now update all day, every day, and large studies of booking data find only tiny differences between the day of the week you buy.
What does matter is how far in advance you book, and whether you buy before the cheap seats on your flight are gone.
How far in advance to book flights
Every flight has a limited number of seats at each price level. As the cheap ones sell, the price steps up. Book too early and you may pay a higher "placeholder" fare before the airline starts managing the flight closely. Book too late and only the expensive seats are left.
Domestic flights
For flights within the US, the sweet spot is usually 1 to 3 months before departure. For busy periods (summer, spring break, Thanksgiving and Christmas) aim for 3 to 4 months ahead, because demand is high and cheap seats go fast.
International flights
For Europe, Asia and other long-haul trips, start looking about 6 months ahead and aim to book 2 to 6 months before you fly. For Mexico and the Caribbean, 1 to 4 months usually works, but book earlier for winter holidays and spring break, which are peak season there.
Last-minute flights
True last-minute bargains are rare on popular routes. Airlines know that people booking a few days out are often business travelers or people with an emergency, and price accordingly. The exception is a route with a lot of competition and empty seats, so it is worth checking, but do not count on it.
The cheapest months to fly from the US
Prices follow the school calendar and the weather. In general:
- January and February (after New Year's, outside of Presidents' Day weekend) are among the cheapest months for most domestic and many international routes.
- Late April to mid-May and September to early November are "shoulder seasons": good weather in many places, but schools are in session and fewer people travel.
- June to August and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the most expensive times to fly almost everywhere.
Warm-weather destinations work the other way round. Florida, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean are busiest in winter, so their cheapest months are usually late spring and fall. See our guides to the cheapest time to fly to Hawaii and the best time to visit Cancun.
Holidays: which days to fly
Around big holidays, the day you travel makes a huge difference:
- Thanksgiving: the Tuesday and Wednesday before and the Sunday after are the busiest and priciest. Flying on Thanksgiving Day itself, or returning on Monday or Tuesday, is often much cheaper.
- Christmas and New Year's: flying on December 24, 25 or 31, or on January 1, is often cheaper than the days around them.
- Long weekends: leave on Thursday and return on Tuesday instead of Friday to Monday.
Seven more ways to pay less
- Compare several booking sites. The same flight often costs different amounts on different sites. Gotoesy searches many at once and sorts every result cheapest first.
- Check nearby airports. Flying into Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami, Oakland instead of San Francisco, or Newark instead of JFK can cut the price noticeably.
- Be flexible by a day or two. Shifting your trip from Friday-Sunday to Saturday-Tuesday can save more than any booking trick.
- Use the 24-hour rule. US rules let you cancel most tickets bought at least seven days before departure within 24 hours for a full refund, so you can lock in a good fare while you finalize plans.
- Read the fare rules. Basic economy is cheapest but often bans changes and seat selection, and some airlines charge for carry-on bags. Add up the real total before you choose.
- Consider one-way tickets. Two one-way tickets on different airlines are sometimes cheaper than a round trip on one.
- Watch the price. If you have time, check a route a few times over a couple of weeks to get a feel for a normal price, then book when it dips.
Find the cheapest flight now
Ready to search? Enter your route on Gotoesy and every result is sorted cheapest first, with prices from the big booking sites side by side. Or start from a popular route:
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest day of the week to fly?
- Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the cheapest days to depart, followed by Saturday. Friday and Sunday are usually the most expensive.
- Is it cheaper to book flights on a Tuesday?
- Not really. Fares change all day, every day, and the day you buy makes little difference. The day you fly and how far ahead you book matter much more.
- How far in advance should I book a domestic flight?
- About 1 to 3 months before departure for most trips, and 3 to 4 months ahead for summer and holiday travel.
- How far in advance should I book an international flight?
- Start looking about 6 months ahead and aim to book 2 to 6 months before you fly. Book earlier for peak summer travel to Europe.