When is the Best Time to Fly? How to Get the Best Airfare!
Recently during one of my outings, I’ve noticed more and more people talking about travel. Naturally my ears perk up like a dog when I overhear these types of conversations. The last person I overheard was talking about when and how to get the best prices on airfares. They spoke of flying out on Tuesday or Thursday. They also mentioned that you must make your purchase exactly 6 weeks out. While this may hold some (emphasis on some) merit, I must insist on disagreeing with this methodology. Before some of the seasoned travelers jump down my throat, allow me to explain and you can draw your own conclusion.
Ehhh, it holds some merit.
Let’s begin with why I think this methodology only holds some merit. I actually agree that flying out on a Tuesday is easily the best day to travel. Why? I truly don’t know! That day just seems to offer the best airfares on a consistent bases. BUT if I had to make a guess as to why, I’d say that Tuesday is the beginning of mid-week. What I mean by that is that most people have begun working already. As you know, Monday is generally the start of the work week. Those who are flying commuters will likely have flown out on Sunday or Monday. Airlines know this. So why not squeeze out a few extra dollars simply for the demand? Think of morning rush hour traffic. After everyone arrives to work, the roads become a bit calmer. All the coffee & breakfast shops slow down. With that analogy in mind, when you arrive to Tuesday and Wednesday (mid-week), there is less traffic coming from those who are working. For those who are vacationing or traveling for other reasons outside of work, our ability to move around has become that much easier (cheaper).
Enter Thursday through the weekend.
With Thursday in sight, workers are thinking about the weekend. I’ve overheard people call Thursday, “Friday eve”. If you’re a 9-5er, you’ve probably felt that way. After all, most 9-5ers live for the weekend. It’s when you get the most time to do whatever it is you want to do! This isn’t to say you can’t find deals on Thursday, Friday or Saturday but your chances of getting those deals have greatly diminished. Beyond those days, you’ve returned to Sunday and Monday. And you know what kind of airfares that leads to!
But the best time to purchase is 6 weeks out!
“I heard if you boil nine Tana leaves on the third day after the full moon you get the best rates (and you can awaken the Mummy)!”
-Ezra
In my opinion, this is for people who have limited time. There are so many moving parts, so many variables that cause airfares to rise and fall. Simply saying 6 weeks out will guarantee the best fare is asinine. For the sake of argument, let’s say you want to book a trip to the Bahamas during spring break. This is high time/ tourist season… it simply doesn’t matter that you book 6 weeks out. During that time of year, everyone is trying to go to the Bahamas. Remember the rush hour analogy? Allow me to reiterate. EVERYONE is trying to go! So the prices are either going to be high and stay the same or go up. But what if you book 6 weeks out during off/ shoulder season? It’s possible that you’ll get a decent deal. Especially since it’s off season. But is it the best deal? Maybe. Maybe not. I assure you that is a roll of the dice (and they’re not loaded)! But this way, the odds are definitely in your favor for great airfares. I’ve watched airfares stay exactly the same for a couple months to either sharply rise (which is normal) a week to a few days out or (not so normal) sharply fall. Here’s the thing… Airlines don’t like sending planes up with empty seats. That means they’re losing money. I certainly don’t recommend waiting to buy a few days out. That would be an even bigger gamble! But the idea that exactly 6 weeks out will consistently get you the best deal is a fallacy.
So then… when IS the best time?!
Fret not. There’s a reasonable way around all that nonsense. You just have to learn and apply common sense to what you already know. Your best friend in getting the absolute best airfares is time & flexibility. Yes… time & flexibility. What do I mean by that? Well, I hinted towards it in the passage above. Of course you want to take in to consideration the day you fly. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my preferred days of travel. Again, this is that mid-week calm. To get deeper discounted airfares, you should seek out what it costs to fly from other airports. Some major airports are airline hubs that have daily direct routes to other locations. Whereas other airports don’t. For example, my hometown of Flint, MI has Bishop International Airport (FNT). But I seldom fly from there. Why? There’s always at least a $130-$200 premium added to the cost of my airfare. It usually means that I’ll have to connect in Chicago and from Chicago I’ll arrive to my destination. So how about we try eliminating that $130-$200 premium and simply fly out of Chicago. This is where time and flexibility come into play. Sure, I can get much better priced tickets flying out of Chicago vs. Flint. But how do I get to Chicago? I could drive… spend money on gas, tolls and parking (which would definitely increase my cost). That would defeat the purpose. OR, I could take a train to Chicago for $30. A fraction of the cost. This ultimately means I spend the vast majority of my day traveling. But since I have the time to spend, I can save money.
Keep your eyes on the ball!
My favorite way to seize travel deals are mistake airfares. I’m constantly watching airfares like stock brokers watch market prices. There are some prices you’ll see that just seem unreal. The truth is, they are! However, you CAN buy them. You just have to do it right away. The fact is they ARE mistakes. Which means those prices won’t last long. Once the airline realizes their mistake, it’s corrected very quickly. I once saw a roundtrip airfare out of Flint for $195.
As insane as that sounds I’ve also seen $14 to Berlin out of Detroit (see the screenshots above). That’s right, it’s a thing. This is just an example of what I find out of Michigan. If you’re from another state and have a major airport near you, imagine what you might find! For the average person, I think having the time to spend and being flexible is the hang up. Trying to pin point a specific time and date for travel narrows your window of opportunity and holds great potential to drive your cost up. But if you have time, cost becomes less of an issue. Again, having time and flexibility is your best friend for low airfares. So when is the best time? It’s precisely when time and opportunity meet. I apologize if that sounds incredibly cliché. But that’s just the truth in my experience.
