Is there actually a best day to buy plane tickets?

[Anonymous]

eI feel like I used to hear that Tuesday and Sunday were the best (read: cheapest) days to buy tickets. Is that a thing of the past, or are there still days of the week on which it is best to buy plane tickets? And does it make a difference, domestic vs international?

[Anonymous]

Nope, doesn't exist anymore. It used to be that airlines could only manually update fares at certain times but new revenue management systems make it so that fares are highly dynamic. Book when you see a price you are willing to pay.

[Anonymous]

Purchase? No. Points? Yes, typically the day the flight is released.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope, doesn't exist anymore. It used to be that airlines could only manually update fares at certain times but new revenue management systems make it so that fares are highly dynamic. Book when you see a price you are willing to pay.

So that’s where the money went.

[Anonymous]

This is anecdotal but I have a LOT of experience bargain shopping for flights, and while you can get a deal any day, I do think it is best to look at flights Monday night through Wednesday morning, and to avoid booking flights on weekends and especially not during holidays or days off. The reason why is that this is when demand for flights tends to be highest. For instance, a lot of people book spring break travel during late December, because it's when they are home with their families and thinking about their next break. You will get better rates if you book flights the week BEFORE Christmas when most people are still focused on the holidays.

I've gotten my best rates late at night on Tuesday. I think it's because most people are likely to book travel on weekends or later in the week. I have found good "sale" rates from airlines on Tuesday/Wednesday, perhaps to help drive interest for routes that are being undersold. As a PP said, flight costs are highly dynamic these days. But they are still subject to supply and demand, and it if you can find ways to shop for flights when other people are less likely to be doing so, you can sometimes reap the benefit of lower demand.

Also, for domestic flights I've found 3-4 months out is the best time to book. For international flights, book as early as possible -- 6-8 months or whenever flights are released. They only get more expensive after that, in my experience (especially since Covid). Airlines do not have the "last minute" deals that they used to because they are more likely to just cancel an undersold flight than to discount the remaining tickets.

It's also helpful to know when airlines you are likely to book run sales, particularly if they run sales for people with status or rewards cards.

You can absolutely still game flights to get good deals.

[Anonymous]

On southwest (if you are still flying with them) - tuesdays are good.

[Anonymous]

I don’t have any earth shattering tips/tricks, but booking as far as you can in advance seems to help. We got $600pp roundtrip on United to Italy. We booked this back in October for a spring break trip. This is the bare bones fare, with no assigned seat, but we have found it’s cheaper to select your seat after purchasing ticket than buying a ticket that bundles seat selection. Also, we get free checked bags with United credit card and have I have United status, which also gets you a free bag.