On which days are flights cheaper? (2023)

Which day of the week are flights cheapest?

Average domestic airfare price by day

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.

According to Skyscanner's research, the best time to book on any given day is around 5 a.m. So, it's true that the early bird gets the worm. Or, the flight deal, that is. In addition, whether you want to save on domestic or international flights, you should also fire up your laptop on Sunday.

Data from the new 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report from ARC and Expedia reveals the best day to book flights. Avoid booking on a Friday. The best day of the week to book your airfare is a Sunday.

When do flight prices drop during the week? According to our data: Tuesday. It seems most airlines launch their discounts on Monday nights, so you can pick up the best prices on Tuesday mornings. Typically, you'll save somewhere between 15 and 25 percent.

In 2022, the cheapest day of the week to fly is Wednesday. Flying on Wednesday will save you $57 per airline ticket versus the most expensive day to travel, which is Sunday. Tuesday follows Wednesday closely, with average savings of $56 versus the most expensive day to fly.

You may have heard that there is a cheap window of time during the week to book your airline tickets. According to CheapAir.com, that's a myth. The day and time of the week have no impact on ticket prices.

It is always a good idea to book a flight at midnight. Yes, during midnight the prices of the flight go down. A trend is that Thursday Midnights are usually a great time for making your reservations for both domestic and international flights.

On Tuesday mornings, they look at what competitors are charging for routes, and adjust their fares accordingly. By the afternoon, they've settled on the most competitive pricing, and that's why Tuesday afternoons are the cheapest time to buy a plane ticket.

Tuesday Around Midnight is the Cheapest Time to Book

And midnight later in the week actually gets more expensive. So put the "always book at midnight" myth to bed.

Do flight prices go down during the day?

Not only do airfares change often over the life of the fare, it can also change during the day. Factors that can impact these mid-day changes include flight demand, flight availability and external factors like COVID-19 virus and even geopolitics.

No, your search history doesn't affect flight prices.

"We run thousands of searches every day, day after day. If prices were rising based on those previous searches, we'd see it."

Yes, morning flights can be cheaper. Because they are flown at off-peak times, airlines sell morning flights at a cheaper rate as an incentive for customers to choose morning flights over flights at other times of the day.

Sunday is the most expensive day to fly and will end up costing you an average of $76 more than a Wednesday flight.

But it's not about when you buy airline tickets: It's more about when you actually get on the plane. That means flying on off-peak days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are often much cheaper days to fly. Shifting your departure and return dates by just a day or two can save you hundreds of dollars.

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.

Demand is outpacing supply

It's also a story of simple supply and demand. Leisure travel demand has fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, but the supply of flights is still down 15-20% because airlines are still short on pilots, planes, and ground crew. High demand + low supply = higher fares.

The updates to ticket prices typically occur during the day, resulting in mid-day price changes. Airlines evaluate several factors to set prices for tickets, including the demand and availability of seats. Most airlines use computer software to automatically adjust ticket prices in real-time.

Early morning flights during the week (Monday through Wednesday) are typically cheaper as well. Q: Do airline prices change at midnight? Ans: There is typically a drop in flight prices during the midnight hours, with Thursdays often being a good time to make reservations for both domestic and international travel.

Is it better to buy flights on Tuesday or Monday?

There are certain days of the week when you shouldn't book your flight, especially if you're seeking bargain fares. On Tuesday, fares are the cheapest, but you may also find good prices on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Airline tickets rarely decrease in price as the departure date approaches. In fact, airline pricing typically increases closer to the departure date. To fill the most seats, airlines often offer the lowest prices far in advance.

Airfares are constantly fluctuating now more than ever. That's because airlines have access to better technology and more real-time information on passengers than ever before. With complex algorithms running their booking systems, the airlines are constantly tweaking prices based on shifts in demand or available seats.

Higher fuel costs and growing travel demand might be driving many prices higher, there are other factors that will keep cheap flight deals in the future. Will flight prices go down in 2022?

With so many travel hacks floating around the internet, it's hard to know which ones actually work and will save you money in the end. We've done this particular one in the past, and can confirm that clearing your cookies before searching for flights will help you find better deals.

According to a 2021 survey by CheapAir.com, on average, the best time to purchase plane tickets for a domestic trip is 64 days before your departure date.

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.

Airlines start releasing tickets almost a year before the flight, but prices are higher when first released and tend to get cheaper as the day of travel approaches. This is why buying a ticket too far in advance doesn't help you save money.

Tuesday Around Midnight is the Cheapest Time to Book

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).

Should I wait to book a flight until Tuesday?

A recent Google analysis of five years worth of travel data suggests prices just don't fluctuate that much during the week. "If you shop for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays instead of Saturdays or Sundays, prices have only been 1.9% cheaper on average over the past five years," according to Google.