The Best Time to Purchase a Flight
The Best Day of the Week to Book a Flight
Airlines were once known to discount fares on Tuesdays. However, this advice is outdated. Airlines update prices dynamically, with the best fares popping up sporadically rather than predictably. Therefore, the specific day of the week you open your browser to book an international flight has a negligible impact on the final price.
Savings are driven by two primary factors: how far in advance you book and the actual day of the week you choose to fly.
Get the Best Deal by Booking in Advance
According to travel insiders, the best time to book a flight depends on your destination, but as a general rule, book your flight two to eight months in advance for international travel. Prices typically rise significantly in the final weeks before departure.
If you are traveling in high season (during summer or around thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter or Spring Break) book 3 to 10 months in advance.
The Best Day of the Week to Fly
For international flights, while Fridays and Sundays are usually the most expensive days to fly, mid week departures are often the cheapest day to fly. However, if you are flying a day or two early to get a cheaper flight, there may be no advantage if you have to pay one or two extra nights in hotel costs.
Shopping Incognito
You’ve heard of people who shop for flights with their computers in incognito mode for fear that the airlines are tracking their searches and raising prices. But shopping incognito only prevents your local browser from storing cookies and history. It does not stop airlines or booking sites from remembering your search through other means like your IP address, logged-in account or frequent flyer profile. Airlines generally do not raise prices just because you personally searched for a flight. Price fluctuations are driven by dynamic algorithms that adjust to overall market demand and limited seat availability across the globe, not your individual browser history.
Travelling at an Inconvenient Time
Without question early flights that depart at 6am for example, will be cheaper than mid-day flights. But a 6am departure means being at the airport several hours early. If you are taking public transportation or even a taxi to the airport, you will need to check in advance if public transportation is running at that hour or if taxi companies raise their prices for early morning rides. You don’t want to save $50 on flights only to be forced to spend more on a taxi to the airport.
Use Price Alerts to Lock in the Best Price
Instead of stressing over a specific day of the week to book, use price prediction tools or alerts on platforms like Google Flights, Skyscanner, or Hopper to provide reliable tracking, historical pricing data, and instant notifications when airfares drop.
Save Money by Travelling Light
The average cost to check a bag on international routes typically ranges from $45 to $100 or more (one way) for the first checked bag depending on the destination and ticket class. However, most airlines include one cabin bag in their airfare. In other words, if you can squeeze everything you need for your trip into your cabin bag, you can often travel without paying for any luggage at all.
Check your airline’s luggage policy as every carrier has different rules and regulations for the size, number and weight of the bags you can bring on board.
If your cabin baggage exceeds your airline’s allowance, you’ll end up being stung with a steep fee at the airport, which is often more expensive than if you’d simply just booked a checked bag in the first place.
If you need more luggage space than simply a cabin bag, some carriers offer deals where you can pay a little more to bring an extra cabin bag on board, allowing you to avoid the more expensive checked luggage fees.