Knowing the right time to book your flight to net the biggest savings can be tricky. Fortunately, there's tons of data out there that can provide passengers with key insights to stretch their budget.
For 2024, the team at CheapAir.com analyzed more than 917 million airfares in more than 8,000 markets across the U.S. to determine the best time to book to score the best deals.
When it comes to domestic flights, research shows that the best day to buy your ticket is 42 days before departure on average. Other factors can determine whether you should book earlier or later but six weeks is a good benchmark.
"A flight's price will change multiple times over the course of its lifetime. In fact, from the time a trip first goes on sale, fares change 49 times on average and change by an average of $98 each time," CheapAir.com points out.
CheapAir.com has also developed a Flight Booking Zone system that sheds light on ticket pricing patterns, revealing the pros and cons of booking within each window.
The recommended Prime Booking Window is 21 to 74 days—or three weeks to 2.5 months—in advance. "In 2024, you can wait a little longer to buy, and the window where you will find the lowest fares extends to about 2.5 months out," says CheapAir.com. "Every year, this zone reliably offers the lowest flight prices for travelers. This is where to focus your search to grab the best deals. The best time to buy cheap flights is in the Prime Booking Window."
However, travelers who book 315 to 206 days in advance will have the advantage of more choices. Meanwhile, booking 205 to 75 days in advance should net additional savings by comparison and still provide travelers enough time for peace of mind.
The final zones are Push Your Luck (20-14 days in advance), Playing with Fire (13-7 days in advance) and Hail Mary (6 to zero days in advance) and carry little benefit with these customers typically paying 8 percent to 59 percent more for their flights on average.
In terms of the cheapest day of the week to fly, mid-week is best, specifically Wednesday as flying on hump day will save you $102 on average compared to Sunday, which is the most expensive day to fly.
After Wednesday, Tuesday is the second cheapest day to fly, with savings of $99 on average versus Sunday, CheapAir.com notes.
Following January, February is the cheapest month to fly in 2024 while November and July are the two most expensive. Travelers booking spring flights will want to book 44 days in advance but that figure drops to 35 days for summer flights. Passengers can book further out for fall flights though at 55 days.
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