- Travel experts agree that midweek flights—especially on Tuesdays—is typically the best option for cheaper airfare and fewer crowds.
- There’s no longer a “best day” to book flights, with the advent of modern pricing algorithms.
- Plus, shifting your travel by just a day or two can save up to 20 percent on airfare.
You’ve picked your vacation destination, meticulously planned all the other details of your stay. But now, you’ve just got to book your flight—and you naturally want to know the best day of the week to fly.
For a great deal on airfare—which usually equates to the “best” time to fly—is the middle of the week, according to all the travel pros.
“This can vary by region or airport, but in general, airports will be less busy during the middle of the week for leisure destinations, or on weekends for more business-focused locales,” travel expert and point.me (an award flight search engine) cofounder Tiffany Funk says.
As for the best time to book those flights, Funk says to book whenever you wish. “There isn’t a ‘best time’ to book flights,” she says. “That myth is a relic of the days when airline employees had to manually type out and post fares. With modern technology, airline revenue management teams can preprogram fare triggers and changes based on purchasing trends, so there’s no point in waiting until Tuesday evening or whatever to book your flight. If you see a price that works for you, lock it in.”
Laura Lindsay, the global trends expert at travel search engine Skyscanner, agrees. “Midweek flights tend to be cheaper than weekend flights,” she says. “However, every journey is different, and there’s a chance the flight you like won’t be following the trend when it comes to pricing.”
Lindsay recommends using Skyscanner’s Price Alert to help you monitor airfare and even notify you when the price drops on your preferred flight.
“Skyscanner data shows the cheapest day of the week to travel—not tp book, but actually fly—is Tuesday,” she adds. “That’s still merely an average. Not only do these hacks change depending on the destination, but also, travelers will find differing results for the same destination but a different month.”
As for why those midweek flights tend to be the cheapest, Jesse Neugarten, founder and CEO of travel subscription service Dollar Flight Club, had some thoughts. “Fewer business travelers and weekend vacationers are flying,” he says. “Airlines drop fares on those days to fill seats that would otherwise go empty. Even shifting your trip by a day can mean saving 15 to 20 percent.”
So go ahead and book that perfect flight for midweek and roll it right into an extra-long weekend. You deserve it.
