- The best day of the week to book flights varies depending on factors like your travel dates and destination; some data suggests Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays are the best days to look for flights.
- There’s no one best time of day to book a flight, so we recommend setting price alerts so you know when prices drop.
While there is no secret to scoring a great flight deal on a specific day or at a certain time, you can use data and expert insights to boost your chances of finding inexpensive airfare. Keep reading for the full rundown—and top tips—straight from the pros at Kayak, Skyscanner, Priceline, and Expedia.
Before diving in any deeper, it’s important to recognize that airlines, like hotels, use dynamic pricing. According to Christina Bennett, Priceline’s consumer travel expert, “Prices are regularly changing based on availability, demand, and carrier-specific promotions.” Additionally, Skyscanner’s global travel trends expert Laura Lindsay explains, “As some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary depending on peak travel seasons, holidays, and events.”
Best Day of the Week to Book Flights
As previously mentioned, there truly is no “best” day or top-secret formula to finding the best flight deals—and Kayla Inserra DeLoache, Kayak’s consumer travel trends expert, echoes these sentiments. “Kayak data shows that there isn’t a single best day to book a flight because the cost of flights can vary depending on the day of departure, return, flight route, and seasonality.” However, she tells Travel + Leisure that “Traveling on certain days can offer lower fares, and for those looking to truly save, having a flexible schedule can lead to significant savings”—but we’ll break that down later.
So, while it’s difficult to predict precisely when airfare prices will drop, data suggests certain days of the week may offer slightly better deals. A recent study from Upgraded Points found that booking flights on Mondays and Tuesdays often results in the lowest prices. Meanwhile, Expedia’s 2025 Air Hacks Report revealed that booking on a Sunday can save travelers up to six percent on domestic flights and 17 percent on international flights compared to booking on a Monday or Friday. While we wish there was a hard-and-fast answer, it just depends—which means you could snag a deal on any day, if you know where to look.
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Best Time of Day to Book Flights
According to Lindsay, the best time of day to book flights “depends on several different and ever-changing factors, like how well that particular flight or route is selling at any given time.” Generally, “Airlines offer cheaper prices when flights are first released, so booking earlier in the day could help you find a deal.”
She and the other experts we spoke with recommended setting price alerts for your desired flight. These alerts provide real-time notifications on fare changes, and Expedia’s alerts even use data to predict whether prices are likely to drop further, as does Hopper’s price prediction tool. “So,” says Lindsay, “if a deal drops or a new flight is added at night instead of in the morning, you may be able to swoop in before the demand impacts the airfare.”
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Tips for Finding Cheap Flights
Set flight alerts.
As mentioned above, “Setting price alerts in advance will notify you when prices change in real time,” says Lindsay. Several companies and search tools offer price alerts, including Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights, and, as previously mentioned, Expedia.
Additionally, Priceline offers two features that can help: “Price Drop” tracks prices between two airports for any time period, while “Price Watch” tracks specific flights or specific dates between two periods.
Bundle your bookings.
According to Bennett, the easiest way to save on travel is to bundle your bookings into a package. Per the pro, “Travelers who bundle their flight and hotel can save up to $625.”
Fly midweek and avoid weekends.
If your schedule allows, opt for midweek travel and avoid flying on weekends. According to Kayak’s data, the lowest average domestic airfares are typically found on Wednesdays and Tuesdays, with one-way fares averaging under $200. For return flights, Tuesdays offer the best deals, with an average fare of $331, followed by Mondays and Wednesdays at $337.
When it comes to international travel, Tuesdays are the most cost-effective, with one-way fares averaging $673, while Mondays are slightly higher at $682. Additionally, says Inserra DeLoache, “We see prices start to climb from there with Friday being the most expensive day to fly internationally (with prices nearly $100 more).”
Keep your (airport) options open and compare prices.
“Flying into or out of nearby airports is a smart way to find better flight deals and potentially save on airfare,” says Lindsay. This strategy is especially worthwhile for travelers living within close proximity of multiple airports or traveling to destinations with more than one nearby airport.
“For example,” says Lindsay, “if you want to fly to Miami, you can choose that airport or fly into Fort Lauderdale, which is just 26 miles north.” Similarly, “if you’re heading to Manhattan, there are three New York City area airports.”
Comparing prices across different airports is a smart way to ensure you find the best deal. Simply enter your desired cities, select your dates, and click “add nearby airports”—a feature available on most search tools, including Skyscanner.
Be flexible with your travel dates.
Flexibility in your travel dates can be a huge factor in scoring the best deal. Lindsay is quick to call out Skyscanner’s “Whole Month” search feature, which highlights the most affordable dates to fly within a given month. Of course, avoiding peak travel seasons is another key way to save.
Finally, says Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations for Expedia Brands, “If you’re flexible with your travel dates and destination, you can use tools like Expedia’s Flight Deals to search for flights departing anytime from your home airport to anywhere,” which brings us to our next point.
Explore alternate destinations.
According to Lindsay, flexibility with your travel destination is key since this “lets you capitalize on discounts and explore unique, crowd-free experiences.” Skyscanner’s “Search Everywhere” feature can help travelers find better flight deals, and other sites offer similar features. For example, Google Flights lets you search for flights anywhere in the world, as does Kayak’s Explore tool and Kiwi. Expedia’s Flight Deals also simplifies the search process by allowing travelers to “search for flights departing anytime from your home airport to anywhere,” explains Fish.
Add a layover or stopover.
Flights with stopovers and layovers are typically less expensive than direct flights, so this could be a savvy way to save. However, it is essential to keep in mind that stopovers and layovers are technically different. The former is a much longer break between flights—often involving staying overnight somewhere—while the latter is much shorter. Considering the cost of accommodations for a stopover, a layover is usually the more budget-friendly choice.
Time your booking right.
Cost-conscious travelers will need to time their booking right to score optimal savings. When we asked experts about the best time to book flights, a general rule of thumb was between two weeks and two months out for domestic travel and at least three months in advance for international travel.
