Does Time of Day Matter When Booking Flights? (2023)

FAQs

What time of the day is best to book a flight? ›

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.

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.

“Flight prices depend on complex algorithms, and the day of the week is not one of the factors.” What still matters is the day of the week you're actually looking to fly and how far in advance you book the ticket, says Oliverez.

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.

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.

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."

So it depends on the destinations. Most of the flights are depart during the nights. These flights may be domestic or international ones. During this period, you can get the best price ticket without paying much.

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'll often find the lowest prices for early morning or late evening departures. On domestic routes, overnight red-eye flights are often cheaper than daytime flights—so if you're able to sleep in an airplane seat, you can save a lot by flying through the night.

When searching for a long-haul flight, booking in advance is a pretty good idea. Broadly speaking, buying tickets somewhere between 8 months and 6 weeks in advance gets you the lowest prices - but more detail on that soon.

Why is it cheaper to book flights on a Tuesday? ›

According to the internet, the best day of the week to buy flights is a Tuesday. Apparently, this is due to airlines announcing deals on Monday evenings. By Tuesday at noon, other airlines are trying to match those deals. So Tuesday afternoons are the best time to hunt for reduced airfare.

According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average. Meanwhile, flights that take off before 6—or between 7 and 8 in the morning—are fairly punctual, too.

What Time of Day Is Least Expensive to Book Flights? The lowest prices may be found in the afternoon on most days of the week.

Are morning flights cheaper? 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.

Travel Tuesday is the day next to Cyber Monday. Travelers can get grab flight deals for this day. Generally, there are more chances of getting cheaper flights on Travel Tuesday in comparison to Black Friday.

What is the cheapest day to fly on American Airlines? Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are usually the cheapest days to fly domestically. Weekdays are often less expensive than weekends for international flights (but not always).

Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date.

The theory is that flight search websites know you've looked at a particular flight before based on your browsing history. They will then increase the price on your second or third look to create a sense of urgency.

According to a 2022 study by CheapAir.com, on average, the best time to purchase plane tickets for a domestic trip is about 76 days before your departure date.

Is round trip or one way cheaper? ›

When traveling within the U.S., airlines typically price one-way flights at exactly half the cost of a round-trip. There certainly are exceptions, especially for those that fly out of smaller, regional airports.

Although you may have heard that flight prices are lower on Tuesdays, the general consensus these days is that there is no single day of the week to score good deals on airfares. Deals get doled out every day of the week.

Here's everything you need to know. Tuesday at around 3 p.m. ET has long been considered the best time to buy a plane ticket. This is because after airlines launch their ticket prices for the week on Monday night, they'll spend Tuesday trying to beat out everyone else until mid-afternoon.

Jan. Most of the month. Once the Christmas through New Year's travel rush subsides, and school starts for many around Jan 7th.

Is it cheaper to book a flight at the last minute? We've said this before, but it's worth repeating at the outset—no, it's really not cheaper to book a flight at the last minute. Yes, last minute travelers used to score the occasional fare so low it might have induced shock, but that's no longer the case.

So is it cheaper to book last-minute flights? To be honest, waiting until the last minute to book a flight isn't the best idea. It is really rare for airlines to reduce their prices just before their scheduled departure dates. This is especially true at peak times – Christmas, summer, national holidays, and New Year.

For domestic trips, Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly, saving on average $100 per airline ticket compared with the most expensive day, Sunday, according to the CheapAir Airfare Study. Fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday for the cheapest domestic travel.

According to Google, it's cheaper to fly in the middle of the week, rather than on the weekend. Flights that take off between Monday and Wednesday can be between 12% and 20% cheaper than weekend flights. Sundays are an expensive day to depart, Google says.

More often than not, booking directly through the airline's website will give you the best price, or will at least be the same as the OTAs. Some airlines, like Southwest, won't even show up on sites like Expedia or Orbitz, so you have to book direct. It can also be the most simple way to book.

What time of day is least turbulent to fly? ›

Early morning or nighttime flights

Statistics say that flights during the early morning or night are less turbulent than day-time flights. These red-eye flights mean you can worry less and catch up on much-needed sleep due to a smoother flight and less worrying about turbulence.

The most reliable airline of 2022

That makes Hawaiian Airlines our most reliable airline for 2022 in a landslide. Delta takes second place overall with a No. 2 finish in half of the performance metrics. Alaska finishes in third place due to a strong on-time percentage and low cancellation rate.

The probability for a delay is at its lowest (20% or below) from 6am – 11am. Early morning flights have less runway traffic, planes ready to take off from the night before, and fewer planes already in the air. Days of the week can impact the ticket price, along with delays.

Fares are usually lower on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and highest on Fridays and Sundays. Flights later in the evening are also usually lower demand. Search nearby area airports. Low fares sold out at one airport, may be available at another nearby airport.

Airlines schedule flights up to a year in advance of departures. This allows the airlines to have a booking window of eleven months. These schedules are subject to change as routes and conditions change over the year. Every three months, most airlines roll out a quarterly schedule change.

If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM. Depending on how far you live from the airport, this could mean getting on the road around 3AM or 3:30AM; traffic should be minimal at this time, as should check-in and security lines.

If I have a 5am flight, do I still need to arrive early? What time does the airport open? TSA and the airlines recommend that all travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance of their flight departure time to ensure they have enough time to check in with their airline and go through security.

So, as a general rule of thumb, you'll want to book plane tickets well in advance, as prices spike sharply in the days preceding the flight, taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.

According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average.

Is Monday a bad day to book flights? ›

Sunday is generally the day of the week when flights are cheapest to book. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday tend to be cheaper days to actually depart or fly back in.

Apparently, this is due to airlines announcing deals on Monday evenings. By Tuesday at noon, other airlines are trying to match those deals. So Tuesday afternoons are the best time to hunt for reduced airfare. But is Tuesday really the cheapest day to buy airline tickets?

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.

"There are two reasons why morning flights perform better. First, the weather tends to be better in the morning (fewer thunderstorms). But more importantly, the plane has been parked at the airport overnight; it's ready to go," an expert from Going explained to Thrillist.

Are morning flights cheaper? 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.

The Worst Days of the Week to Fly

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are the days with the highest cost and lowest number of award seats.

Typically, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday is the cheapest day to fly. If you can structure your travel schedule around these days, these will likely be the best days to fly – both for a lower cost and a less-hectic airport experience.