The Best Time to Book a Cheap Flight

You hear hundreds of opinions on when the best time to book a cheap flight is and it varies based on the source. You’ll hear Tuesdays at 9am, last minute, as soon as possible, etc.

A report from Skyscanner says that the cheapest month to book a flight from the US is January, followed by February and August. The same report claims that you should book flights at 5am for the most potential savings, avoid booking flights between 8–11pm, and book on Tuesdays for domestic flights and Wednesdays for international flights. While this seems very informative, it isn’t exactly as clear cut as Skyscanner would lead you to believe.

I’ve seen some incredible deals all year round for places you wouldn’t believe would have great deals for that time. $400 flights to Dublin over St. Patrick’s Day, $500 to Paris over Christmas for the Christmas markets, $600 to Bora Bora and the Maldives in late spring… There seems to be no rhyme or reason for when cheap flights will strike.

So when is the best time to book a cheap flight?

Booking cheap flights is different from when you’d actually go to that destination. For example, I booked a flight to Berlin in July for a trip in February ($371 round trip Memphis to Berlin), so keep that in mind as I share what is below.

As I said above, flight deals happen all year round, but based on the data from Scott’s Cheap Flights, here are the best times to book for different continents:

• Best time to book to Africa - the most flight deals to Africa was May.

• Best times to book a cheap flight to Asia were August and October, then April and September. (I did find Neal’s $202 flight Memphis to Tokyo in April).

• The best time to book a cheap flight to Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) were November, January, and July.

• Cheap flights to Europe tend to happen all year round, but August, October, and November seem to be the most popular. These deals are great because the flight deals either reflect flights immediately (ex: book in November, go in December), or for the reflective season (book in Summer, go in winter). I like to plan so I haven’t ever booked a flight for less than 3 months out.

• Best time to book a cheap flight to Latin America is usually in October, but those are also pretty consistent year-round.

Is Tuesday still the best day to book a flight?

This myth has always killed me. I have people messaging me all the time saying they’ll wait for Tuesday to book the flight, and while I love their ferocity in trying to find the cheapest flight, Tuesdays aren’t necessarily the best day to book.

Where did this myth come from? Airlines used to post updated prices at a certain time of day each week (Tuesday, according to popular belief), but nowadays, airlines are constantly updating their prices and can fluctuate by the second. I once got a notification for $600 round trip Memphis to Morocco on BUSINESS CLASS. I hesitated for 1 minute and lost the fare.

How far in advance should I book a flight?

This is always tricky, and unsurprisingly, there are plenty of opinions on this tip, too.

The best time to book a domestic flight is 1-3 months out.

The best time to book an international flight is 2-8 months out.

However, if you aren’t flexible with your dates and need to travel over specific dates or if your trip is during peak travel times like Christmas, New Year’s, Spring or Summer break, book earlier.

You can book flights up to a year in advance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best deal. If you have less flexibility or travel during peak times, start tracking flights early so you know the standard and typical price - and can identify a good deal when you see one.

Are last-minute flights cheaper?

I would love to be the type of traveler who buys a flight to Costa Rica on Tuesday to leave that Friday; however, those flights are usually more expensive (and I’m not that spontaneous lol).

Airlines used to offer incredible deals a few weeks out when they were trying to fill vacant seats with leisure travelers. However, now their bottom line is covered by those traveling on first and business class tickets, so there is no need to fill every seat. They also know some of those empty seats will be bought by business travelers heading out on a sudden trip and their company will pay full price.

Generally, waiting until the last minute isn’t going to save you money. Within that 3-week mark, prices rise significantly no matter the route.

Basically, there is no single best time to book a cheap flight, but your ability to be flexible and keep an eye out for cheap flight deals is a great way to ensure you get the best price.