If you’re a budget traveling enthusiast like myself, you probably check Google Flights a half dozen times a day.
No? Must just be me then.
Since most people don’t actually find searching for and booking flights, hotels, and other travel amenities entertaining, many look to the web for tips on when to book.
That way they don’t have to check their favorite airlines obsessively, trying to decipher exactly when prices will go up or down. And if you Google “best times to book a flight,” you’ll find plenty of tips and tricks for finding that golden hour.
But how accurate are these tips? Do you really need to wake up at 5 am on a Tuesday exactly 30 days out in order to get the best price? Keep reading to learn my take on the best time to book.
Debunking the Myth
I first started thinking about this topic a couple of weeks ago when my brother asked for help booking flights for his upcoming honeymoon to Jamaica. Specifically, he wanted to know how far in advance he would need to book to get the best price.
Even though I am a bit obsessed with checking airline sites for good deals, I was stumped.
After all, I rarely search for specific flights. Instead, I prefer to choose my flights first, based on what kinds of deals I can find. The flight determines my destination, and sometimes even the dates that I’ll fly. I rarely search the other way around.
In this case, his honeymoon to a gorgeous beach resort in Jamaica was already booked. There was no chance of comparing prices at different airports or even adjusting the dates. Those were locked in, and he now wanted help making sure he got the best possible deal on his air transportation.
I immediately Googled the best times to book international flights, and I got a lot of different answers. Most said to book international flights at least 5 months out, but no more than 6. Many suggested booking in the middle of the week, and early in the morning.
I immediately cried foul.
After all, when checking on flights several times a day, I’ve never noticed a price change based on what time of day I was searching or even the day. While I know that flights get more expensive the closer to the date of departure as seats fill up, I’ve also booked flights at rock bottom prices just days before takeoff.
In fact, just this evening I booked a flight to North Carolina to visit a friend. That flight leaves on Monday. I’ve been watching it for a few weeks, deciding whether or not I wanted to go. And I paid just $10 more than the flight was the first day I checked it.
Obviously, something was up with this “expert” research.
Budget vs. Traditional Airlines
Intrigued by my discovery, I started searching deeper.
I did find that the 5 to 6 month out the deadline for international flights does ring true, though I found little evidence of flights changing price based on the time of day or day of the week.
That’s when I realized that my searches dealt almost entirely with budget airlines.
Where traditional airlines might know that they’ll score last-minute travelers who need to get somewhere for business, budget airlines tend to cater more to tourists than suits.
Tourists, and particularly those who are looking for the best deal on their travel, are unlikely to book a flight at the last minute. Even if they do, they won’t be willing to pay a sky-high price for a seat on a budget airline. This is especially true if they can pay the same price for a roomier seat on a higher-tier airline.
So budget flights are less likely to change as the departure date gets closer.
Of course, most budget airlines do offer their seats on a tiered pricing system. This means that flight costs will go up at least a bit as the seats filled. You can expect popular flights during busy seasons to increase, but that won’t be based on a timeline. Instead, it is directly connected to how many people are booking and when which can be tough to track.
In contrast, traditional airlines may increase prices as the departure date approaches regardless of how many seats are booked.
So What do the Experts Really Say is the Best Time to Book?
While many factors affect when prices may go up, including whether the flight is filling fast or if it is on a budget airline, experts have used tracking software to determine the statistical “best time to book.”
According to Skyscanner, these are the best dates, days, and times to book:
- Overall, flights are the cheapest during January, February, and August
- International flights are the cheapest 5 to 6 months out
- Domestic flights are the cheapest 2 to 3 weeks out
- International flights are the cheapest on Wednesdays
- Domestic flights are the cheapest on Tuesdays
- 5 am statistically the best time to book flights of any kind
So if you’re looking to fly within the U.S., Skyscanner says you should book your flight at 5 am on a Tuesday during January, planning to fly about 2 or 3 weeks later.
Of course, this may or may not be feasible. If you’re a digital nomad like me and you’ve been dying to go somewhere but don’t want to pay the current flight costs, waiting until January rolls back around, or at least August, might be worth it.
Or you could stick to budget airlines like me! Trust me when I say that my best adventures have been those that I planned based solely on where I could score a cheap flight!
Cate Goes 