This time of year, we love watching the leaves turn color and feeling the turn of the season . . . but if we’re smart, we’re already looking ahead a month or two to the holiday season. Buying airline tickets is a game of knowing when to do it—airline lore says we can save tons of money if we book on the right day and fly on the right day, but we've always been a little unsure of exactly when that is. And that's especially true after the pandemic made all previous data unclear. Luckily, Google Flights has just come out with new information that tells us exactly when to do it, according to Travel + Leisure, based on the last four years of data.
And guess what? We’re approaching the sweet spot right now. The exact best time to buy tickets with the lowest fare is 35 days before Thanksgiving (this year, that’s October 28) and 51 days before Christmas (this year, that’s November 4). But if you can’t make it that precise date, the range to buy Thanksgiving tickets at a better price is 24-59 days in advance (this year, October 4-November 8), and for Christmas, 32-73 days (October 13-November 23).
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In general, domestic flights are cheapest 39 days before departure with a low-price range of 23 to 51 days beforehand. Flying internationally? You’ll want to book 49 days or more before departure; booking early pays off.
Extrapolating further—bookmark this article for later—the best times to book for spring break travel in March or April are 28 to 61 days in advance, with 43 days the most ideal; the best times for summer vacation travel in July or August are 14 to 43 days in advance, with 21 days the most ideal; the best times to book for Europe are 48 days or more and tickets don’t usually drop; and the best times to book for Mexico or the Caribbean are 26 to 79 days in advance, with 50 days the most ideal.
And of course, we all hear that booking travel on a particular day can save money. Tuesday is the cheapest day to book (not fly) overall… but it’s only 1.3-percent cheaper than booking on Sunday, the most expensive day. So maybe it’s probably not worth it to wait an entire week to line up with Tuesday to buy your tickets.
However, there is a big difference for which days you actually fly. Flying anytime Monday through Wednesday is about 13-percent cheaper than flying on the weekend—good to know!
And if you can bear to build in a layover as opposed to flying nonstop, you’ll save 22-percent on average.
Armed with this data, go book your flights and have a great holiday season!